Indicator member, indicator unit and indicator instrument

ABSTRACT

To provide an inexpensive indicator member which can prevent a dark area from being formed at a location above a reflection part, an indicator unit having the indicator member and an indicator instrument having the indicator unit. A hollow reflection part provided to an indicator part of an indicator main body of a light-emitting indicator includes a plurality of partial reflection parts having at least an pointing direction reflection face, a rear end direction reflection face and a corner formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face and arranged at a location opposed to the base part. The corners of the respective partial reflection parts adjacent to each other are displaced in a pointing direction or in a rear end direction.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/980,945 filed Jul. 22, 2013 which claims the right of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 119 based on Japanese Patent Application Nos.2011-015017 filed Jan. 27, 2011; 2011-014246 filed Jan. 26, 2011; JAPAN2011-014245 filed Jan. 26, 2011 and JAPAN 2011-014244 filed Jan. 26,2011.

TECHNICAL FIELD

(1.1), (2.1), (3.1)

The present invention relates to an indicator member made of translucentmaterial which becomes luminous by receiving the light from a lightsource, an indicator unit having said indicator member and an indicatorinstrument having said indicator unit.

(4.1)

The present invention relates to an indicator member arranged to guidethe light from a translucent indicator shaft to be luminous, anindicator unit having said indicator member and an indicator instrumenthaving said indicator unit.

BACKGROUND ART

(1.2)

In general, a vehicle is mounted with a vehicle display device arrangedto display a measured value such as vehicle speed and engine revolutionnumber, and in many vehicles said vehicle display device is constitutedof an indicator instrument. The indicator instrument includes a metercase which houses a dial plate having a surface provided with indexessuch as scale marks and numbers, letters or symbols, an indicator unitpositioned in front of said dial plate to point to the indexes on thedial plate, a drive device which rotates the indicator shaft at whichsaid indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity,and a circuit board on which a circuit pattern and an electroniccomponent and such are provided and on which said drive device is fixed.

To allow the indicator unit provided at such indicator instrument to beeasily visible in the dark place as well, various technologies aredisclosed in which the indicator member constituting the indicator unitis made of translucent synthetic resin which is translucent material,and in which light is guided from a light source into the indicatormember to make the indicator member to be luminous. For example, alight-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is providedwith a hollow reflection part having a reflection face which reflects apart of light from a light source toward a distal end of the indicator.

For example, an indicator instrument 901 which is partially shown inFIG. 6 includes a dial plate 902, a light-emitting indicator 903 as anindicator unit, a drive device 904 having an indicator shaft 914arranged to rotate in accordance with measured quantity, a circuit board905 and a light source 906. The light-emitting indicator 903 includes anindicator main body 931 as an indicator member having a base part 940and an indicator part 950 which are integrally molded from translucentsynthetic resin, and a cover member 932 arranged to cover the indicatormain body 931 and having a slit from which an upper face 953 of theindicator part 950 is exposed toward a viewer. This indicator main body931 is arranged to guide the light received at the base part 940 to theindicator part 950 and direct the light to exit from the upper face 953of the indicator part 950 toward the viewer, by which the upper face 953of the indicator part 950 becomes luminous and visible through the slitof the cover member 932.

The base part 940 of the indicator main body 931 includes a circularcylindrical base part main body 941 to be attached to a distal end ofthe indicator shaft 914 which also functions as a light guide member,and a light receiving part 942 arranged to receive light L from thelight source 906 which is guided by the indicator shaft 914. Theindicator part 950 of the indicator main body 931 is provided with apointing part 951 and a rearward part 952 extending from the base part940 toward a pointing direction S1 intersecting a shaft center P of theindicator shaft 914 and toward a rear end direction S2 which is oppositeof the pointing direction S1, respectively. A hollow reflection part 960is provided inside of the indicator part 950 near an upper end 941 a ofthe base part main body 941 so as to penetrate through the indicatorpart 950 in a widthwise direction (i.e. a direction perpendicular to aplane of paper in FIG. 6).

This hollow reflection part 960 is formed into a substantiallytriangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 961, a rearend direction reflection face 962 and a transmission face 963.Furthermore, a corner 960 a is formed at an intersection of the pointingdirection reflection face 961 and the rear end direction reflection face962 and is arranged at a location opposed to the light receiving part942 of the base part 940. As shown in FIG. 7A, the indicator directionreflection face 961 reflects a part L1 of the light L received at thelight receiving part 942 to the pointing direction S1 (i.e. the leftdirection in FIG. 7A) and allows other part L3 of the light L totransmit toward the transmission face 963. The rear end directionreflection face 962 reflects a part L2 of the light L received at thelight receiving part 942 to the rear end direction S2 (i.e. the rightdirection in FIG. 7A) and allows other part L3 of the light L totransmit toward the transmission face 963.

The light L1 travels inside of the indicator part 951 toward thepointing direction S1 and exits from the upper face 953 adjacent to thepointing part 951, and the light L2 travels inside of the rearward part952 toward the rear end direction S2 and exits from the upper face 953adjacent to the rearward part 952, and the light L3 enters thetransmission face 963 and then exits from the upper face 953 locatedabove the hollow reflection part 960, by which the entire portion of theupper face 953 of the indicator part 950 becomes luminous. In FIG. 7A,the thickness of the arrow indicative of the light L3 represents thebrightness of light, thus the thicker the arrow the higher thebrightness, and the thinner the arrow the lower the brightness.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the light L3 entering the transmission face 963 hashighest brightness at a section 963 c of the transmission face 963located right above the corner 960 a, and the brightness becomesgradually lower as distant from the section 963 c toward the atransmission face end 963 a on the pointing direction S1 or toward atransmission face end 963 b on the rear end direction S2. In theindicator part 950, the pointing part 951 is longer than the rearwardpart 952, thus needs more light reflected toward the pointing directionS1. Therefore, the pointing direction reflection face 961 is formedlarger than the rear end direction reflection face 962, and the corner960 a is located to the rear end direction S2 with respect to the shaftcenter P of the indicator shaft 914.

Therefore, the section 963 c with the highest brightness is also locatedto the rear end direction S2, thus the light entering near thetransmission face end 963 b located relatively near the section 963 ccan ensure the necessary brightness. However, the light entering nearthe transmission face end 963 a located relatively distant from thesection 963 c is deficient in the brightness, causing a dark area Dformed near an end on the pointing direction S1 side in a section R ofthe upper face 953 located above the hollow reflection part 960. Thus,as shown in FIG. 8, conventionally, the formation of the dark area Ddescribed above is prevented by inserting into the hollow reflectionpart 960 a light diffusing component 970 made of synthetic resin andsuch containing diffusing agent for transmitting and scattering thelight and formed into a substantially same shape as the hollowreflection part 960, or by providing a filter member to the transmissionface 963 as the light-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature1.

(2.2)

In general, a vehicle is mounted with a vehicle display device arrangedto display measured value such as vehicle speed and engine revolutionnumber, and in many vehicles said vehicle display device is constitutedof an indicator instrument. The indicator instrument includes a metercase which houses a dial plate having a surface provided with indexessuch as scale marks and numbers, letters or symbols, an indicator unitpositioned in front of said dial plate to point to the indexes on thedial plate, a drive device which rotates the indicator shaft at whichsaid indicator unit is attached in accordance with the measuredquantity, and a circuit board on which a circuit pattern and anelectronic component and such are provided and on which said drivedevice is fixed.

To allow the indicator unit provided at such indicator instrument to beeasily visible in the dark place as well, various technologies aredisclosed in which the indicator member constituting the indicator unitis made of translucent synthetic resin which is translucent material,and in which light is guided from a light source into the indicatormember to make the indicator member to become luminous. For example, alight-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is providedwith a hollow reflection part having a reflection face which reflects apart of light from a light source toward a distal end of the indicator.

For example, an indicator instrument 901 which is partially shown inFIG. 17 includes a dial plate 902, a light-emitting indicator 903 as anindicator unit, a drive device 904 having an indicator shaft 914arranged to rotate in accordance with measured quantity, a circuit board905 and a light source 906. The light-emitting indicator 903 includes anindicator main body 931 as an indicator member having a base part 940and an indicator part 950 which are integrally molded from translucentsynthetic resin, and a cover member 932 arranged to cover the indicatormain body 931 and having a slit from which an upper face 953 of theindicator part 950 is exposed toward a viewer. This indicator main body931 is arranged to guide the light received at the base part 940 to theindicator part 950 and direct the light to exit from the upper face 953of the indicator part 950 toward the viewer, by which the upper face 953of the indicator part 950 becomes luminous and visible through the slitof the cover member 932.

The base part 940 of the indicator main body 931 includes a circularcylindrical base part main body 941 to be attached to a distal end ofthe indicator shaft 914 which also functions as a light guide member,and a light receiving part 942 arranged to receive light L from thelight source 906 which is guided by the indicator shaft 914. Theindicator part 950 of the indicator main body 931 is provided with apointing part 951 and a rearward part 952 extending from the base part940 toward a pointing direction S1 intersecting a shaft center P of theindicator shaft 914 and toward a rear end direction S2 which is oppositeof the pointing direction S1, respectively. A hollow reflection part 960is provided inside of the indicator part 950 near an upper end 941 a ofthe base part main body 941 so as to penetrate through the indicatorpart 950 in a widthwise direction (i.e. a direction perpendicular to aplane of paper in FIG. 17).

This hollow reflection part 960 is formed into a substantially isoscelestriangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 961, a rearend direction reflection face 962 and a transmission face 963, eachformed into a flat surface. Furthermore, a corner 960 a is formed at anintersection of the pointing direction reflection face 961 and the rearend direction reflection face 962 and is arranged at a location opposedto the light receiving part 942 of the base part 940. As shown in FIG.18, the indicator direction reflection face 961 reflects a part L1 ofthe light L received at the light receiving part 942 to the pointingdirection S1 (i.e. the left direction in FIG. 18) and allows other partL3 of the light L to transmit toward the transmission face 963. The rearend direction reflection face 962 reflects a part L2 of the light Lreceived at the light receiving part 942 to the rear end direction S2(i.e. the right direction in FIG. 18) and allows other part L3 of thelight L to transmit toward the transmission face 963.

The light L1 travels inside of the indicator part 951 toward thepointing direction S1 and exits from a section R1 of the upper face 953located adjacent to the pointing part 951, and the light L2 travelsinside of the rearward part 952 toward the rear end direction S2 andexits from a section R2 of the upper face 953 located adjacent to therearward part 952, and the light L3 enters the transmission face 963 andthen exits from a section R3 of the upper face 953 located above thehollow reflection part 960, by which the entire portion of the upperface 953 of the indicator part 950 becomes luminous.

(3.2)

In general, a vehicle is mounted with a vehicle display device arrangedto display measured value such as vehicle speed and engine revolutionnumber, and in many vehicles said vehicle display device is constitutedof an indicator instrument. The indicator instrument includes a metercase which houses a dial plate having a surface provided with indexessuch as scale marks and numbers, letters or symbols, an indicator unitpositioned in front of said dial plate to point to the indexes on thedial plate, a drive device which rotates the indicator shaft at whichsaid indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity,and a circuit board on which a circuit pattern and an electroniccomponent and such are provided and on which said drive device is fixed.

To allow the indicator unit provided at such indicator instrument to beeasily visible in the dark place as well, various technologies aredisclosed in which the indicator member constituting the indicator unitis made of translucent synthetic resin which is translucent material,and in which light is guided from a light source into the indicatormember to make the indicator member to be luminous. For example, alight-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is providedwith a hollow reflection part having a reflection face which reflects apart of light from a light source toward a distal end of the indicator.

For example, an indicator instrument 901 which is partially shown inFIG. 28 includes a dial plate 902, a light-emitting indicator 903 as anindicator unit, a drive device 904 having an indicator shaft 914arranged to rotate in accordance with measured quantity, a circuit board905 and a light source 906. The light-emitting indicator 903 includes anindicator main body 931 as an indicator member having a base part 940and an indicator part 950 which are integrally molded from translucentsynthetic resin, and a cover member 932 arranged to cover the indicatormain body 931 and having a slit from which an upper face 953 of theindicator part 950 is exposed toward a viewer. This indicator main body931 is arranged to guide the light received at the base part 940 to theindicator part 950 and direct the light to exit from the upper face 953of the indicator part 950 toward the viewer, by which the upper face 953of the indicator part 950 becomes luminous and visible through the slitof the cover member 932.

The base part 940 of the indicator main body 931 includes a circularcylindrical base part main body 941 to be attached to a distal end ofthe indicator shaft 914 which also functions as a light guide member,and a light receiving part 942 arranged to receive light L from thelight source 906 which is guided by the indicator shaft 914. Theindicator part 950 of the indicator main body 931 is provided with apointing part 951 and a rearward part 952 extending from the base part940 toward a pointing direction S1 intersecting a shaft center P of theindicator shaft 914 and toward a rear end direction S2 which is oppositeof the pointing direction S1, respectively. A hollow reflection part 960is provided inside of the indicator part 950 near an upper end 941 a ofthe base part main body 941 so as to penetrate through the indicatorpart 950 in a widthwise direction (i.e. a direction perpendicular to aplane of paper in FIG. 28).

This hollow reflection part 960 is formed into a substantially isoscelestriangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 961, a rearend direction reflection face 962 and a transmission face 963.Furthermore, a corner 960 a is formed at an intersection of the pointingdirection reflection face 961 and the rear end direction reflection face962 and is arranged at a location opposed to the light receiving part942 of the base part 940. As shown in FIG. 29, the indicator directionreflection face 961 reflects a part L1 of the light L received at thelight receiving part 942 to the pointing direction S1 (i.e. the leftdirection in FIG. 29) and allows other part L3 of the light L totransmit toward the transmission face 963. The rear end directionreflection face 962 reflects a part L2 of the light L received at thelight receiving part 942 to the rear end direction S2 (i.e. the rightdirection in FIG. 29) and allows other part L3 of the light L totransmit toward the transmission face 963.

The light L1 travels inside of the indicator part 951 toward thepointing direction S1 and exits from an upper face 953 a of the pointingpart 951, and the light L2 travels inside of the rearward part 952toward the rear end direction S2 and exits from an upper face 953 b ofthe rearward part 952.

However, the light L1 reflected by the pointing direction reflectionface 961 travels at an angle with respect to the pointing directionreflection face 961, thus less light travels along the pointingdirection reflection face 961. Thus, there is a problem that amount oflight exiting from the section R of the upper face 953 a of the pointingpart 951 near the hollow reflection part 960 becomes less, causing adark area formed at this section R and thus causing non-uniformity inthe brightness at the upper face 953.

A indicator member 811 disclosed in Patent Literature 2 shown in FIG. 30includes a base part 811 a and an indicator part 811 b having a pointingpart 811 b 1 extending to one direction from the base part 811 a and abalance part 811 b 2 as a rearward part extending to the other directionwhich is opposite of said one direction. A hollow reflection part 811 cis provided at a connection section of the pointing part 811 b 1 and thebalance part 811 b 2, the hollow reflection part 811 c being arranged toreflect the light from the base part 811 a toward a distal end directionof the pointing part 811 b 1 and toward a rear end direction of thebalance part 811 b 2.

A rearward diffuse reflection face 811 b 3 is provided at a proximalportion of the base part 811 a and the balance part 811 b 2. Thisrearward diffuse reflection face 811 b 3 is arranged to face to andsubstantially parallel to a rearward reflection face 811 c 2 of thehollow reflection part 811 c such that the light reflected on therearward reflection face 811 c 2 is reflected toward an upper face ofthe balance part 811 b 2. Thus, the above-mentioned problem can besolved by adjusting the rearward diffuse reflection face 811 b 3 toreflect the light toward a section of the upper face of the balance part811 b 2 near the hollow reflection part 811 c.

(4.2)

In general, a vehicle is mounted with a vehicle display device arrangedto display measured value such as vehicle speed and engine revolutionnumber, and in many vehicles said vehicle display device is constitutedof an indicator instrument. The indicator instrument includes a metercase which houses a dial plate having a surface provided with indexessuch as scale marks and numbers, letters or symbols, an indicator unitpositioned in front of said dial plate to point to the indexes on thedial plate, a drive device which rotates the indicator shaft at whichsaid indicator unit is attached in accordance with measured quantity,and a circuit board on which a circuit pattern and an electroniccomponent and such are provided and on which said drive device is fixed.

To allow the indicator unit provided at such indicator instrument to beeasily visible in the dark place as well, various technologies aredisclosed in which the indicator member constituting the indicator unitis made of translucent synthetic resin which is translucent material,and in which light is guided from a light source into the indicatormember to make the indicator member to be luminous. For example, alight-emitting indicator disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is providedwith a hollow reflection part having a reflection face which reflects apart of light from a light source toward a distal end of the indicator.Furthermore, an instrument disclosed in Patent Literature 3 includes atranslucent indicator shaft, and an indicator receives the light fromthe light source guided in the indicator shaft, and the indicator emitslight by the received light.

For example, an indicator instrument 901 which is partially shown inFIG. 41 includes a dial plate 902, a light-emitting indicator 903 as anindicator unit, a drive device 904 having an indicator shaft 914arranged to rotate in accordance with measured value, a circuit board905 and a light source 906. The light-emitting indicator 903 includes anindicator main body 931 as an indicator member having a base part 940and an indicator part 950 which are integrally molded from translucentsynthetic resin, and a cover member 932 arranged to cover the indicatormain body 931 and having a slit from which an upper face 953 of theindicator part 950 is exposed toward a viewer. This indicator main body931 guides the light received at the base part 940 to the indicator part950 and directs the light to exit from the upper face 953 of theindicator part 950 toward the viewer, thereby being luminous and visiblethrough the slit of the cover member 932.

The base part 940 of the indicator main body 931 includes a shaftreceiving part 941 arranged to guide the light from the light source 906and arranged to be attached to a distal end of the indicator shaft 914,and a light receiving part 942 arranged to receive light L guided fromthe light source 906 by the indicator shaft 914 and exited from thedistal end of the indicator shaft 914. The indicator part 950 of theindicator main body 931 is provided with a pointing part 951 and arearward part 952 extending from the base part 940 toward a pointingdirection S1 intersecting a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 914and toward a rear end direction S2 which is opposite of the pointingdirection S1, respectively. A hollow reflection part 960 is providedinside of the indicator part 950 near the light receiving part 942 ofthe base part main body 941 so as to penetrate through the indicatorpart 950 in a widthwise direction (i.e. a direction perpendicular to aplane of paper in FIG. 41).

This hollow reflection part 960 is formed into a substantiallytriangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 961, a rearend direction reflection face 962 and a transmission face 963.Furthermore, a corner 960 a is formed at an intersection of the pointingdirection reflection face 961 and the rear end direction reflection face962 and is arranged at a location opposed to the base part 940. As shownin FIG. 42, the indicator direction reflection face 961 reflects a partL1 of the light L received at the light receiving part 942 to thepointing direction S1 (i.e. the left direction in FIG. 42) and allowsother part L3 of the light L to transmit toward the transmission face963. The rear end direction reflection face 962 reflects a part L2 ofthe light L received at the light receiving part 942 to the rear enddirection S2 (i.e. the right direction in FIG. 42) and allows other partL3 of the light L to transmit toward the transmission face 963. Thelight L1 is reflected in the pointing part 951 and travels toward thepointing direction S1 and exits from the upper face 953 located adjacentto the pointing part 951, and the light L2 is reflected in the rearwardpart 952 and travels toward the rear end direction S2 and exits from theupper face 953 located adjacent to the rearward part 952, and the lightL3 enters the transmission face 963 and then exits from the upper face953 located above the hollow reflection part 960, by which the entireportion of the upper face 953 of the indicator part 950 becomesluminous.

CITATION LIST Patent Literatures

Patent Literature 1: Japan Utility Model Application Publication No.H6-12995

Patent Literature 2: Japan Patent Application Publication No. H8-219820

Patent Literature 3: Japan Patent Application Publication No. 2002-98556

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Problem to be Solved

(1.3)

However, there is a problem that, when the light diffusing component andthe filter member and such are provided to prevent the formation of thedark area D at the section R of the upper face 953 of the indicator part950 located above the hollow reflection part 960 as described above, thenumber of components is increased and the man-hour for assembling isincreased as well, causing an increase in the manufacturing cost of theindicator member.

The present invention aims to solve the problem mentioned above. Thatis, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensiveindicator member which can prevent the formation of a dark area at alocation above a reflection part, an indicator unit having saidindicator member and an indicator instrument having said indicator unit.

(2.3)

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, at a location near the hollowreflection part 960, the part L1′, L2′ of the light L travels inside ofthe indicator part 950 directly from the light receiving part 942 towardthe upper face 953, or, is firstly reflected on the pointing directionreflection face 961 or on the rear end direction reflection face 962 andthen travels toward the upper face 953. The light component L3′ near thepointing direction reflection face 961 and the light component L3″ nearthe pointing direction reflection face 961 contained in theabove-described light L3 pass inside of the hollow reflection part 960and enter the transmission face 963 and then travel toward the upperface 953.

However, since the transmission face 963 is formed into a flat surface,when the light components L3′, L3″ enter the transmission face 963, therefraction angles θ2, θ4 become smaller than the incident angles θ1, θ3as shown in FIG. 19 due to the refraction index of the synthetic resinbeing higher than the refraction index of air. Thus, the light componentL3′, L3″ changes its direction of travel toward an inner side (i.e.toward each other). This is the same for the light component containedin the light L3 other than the light components L3′, L3″.

In other words, there is a problem that the spread angle (θ2+θ4) of theabove-mentioned light L3 after entering the transmission face 963becomes smaller than the spread angle (θ1+θ3) of the above-mentionedlight L3 before entering the transmission face 963. Thus, the section Rof the upper face 953 of the indicator part 950 becomes narrower,causing a decrease in amount of light exiting from a section R4 locatedat the upper face 953 and located at an extension of the pointingdirection reflection face 961 (i.e. located between the section R1 andthe section R3) and thus forming the dark area. Similarly, the dark areais formed at a section R5 located at the upper face 953 of the indicatorpart 950 and located at an extension of the rear end directionreflection face 962 (i.e. located between the section R2 and the sectionR3). Such problem can be prevented by inserting a light diffusingcomponent 970 which is made of synthetic resin and such containingdiffusing agent for transmitting and scattering the light and which isformed into a substantially same shape as the hollow reflection part960, as shown in FIG. 20, or by providing a filter member to thetransmission face 963 as the light-emitting indicator disclosed inPatent Literature 1. However, that will induce another problem that thenumber of components is increased and the man-hour for assembling isincreased as well, causing an increase in the manufacturing cost of theindicator member.

The present invention aims to solve the problem mentioned above. Thatis, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensiveindicator member which can prevent non-uniformity in brightness at anupper face of an indicator part, an indicator unit having said indicatormember and an indicator instrument having said indicator unit.

(3.3)

However, if the indicator main body 931 mentioned above is provided witha diffuse reflection face which is similar to the rearward diffusereflection face 811 b 3 shown in FIG. 30 at the pointing part 951 inorder to reflect the light toward the section R of the upper face 953 alocated adjacent to the hollow reflection part 960, then the pointingpart 951 becomes thinner as the balance part 811 b 2 shown in FIG. 30.Thus, there is a problem that the sufficient light cannot be guidedtoward a distal end 951 a of the pointing part 951, causing a decreasein brightness of the entire upper face 953 a of the pointing part 951.

The present invention aims to solve the problem mentioned above. Thatis, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensiveindicator member which can prevent non-uniformity in brightness at anupper face of an indicator part without decreasing the brightness of theupper face of the indicator part, an indicator unit having saidindicator member, and an indicator instrument having said indicatorunit.

(4.3)

In FIG. 42, the thickness of the arrow indicative of the light L3represents the brightness of light, and the thicker the arrow the higherthe brightness, and the thinner the arrow the lower the brightness.Thus, the light L3 entering the transmission face 963 has the highestbrightness at a section of the transmission face 963 located right abovethe corner 960 a, and the brightness becomes gradually lower as distantfrom this section toward the transmission face end 963 b in the pointingdirection S1 or the rear end direction S2.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 43, the indicator part 950 includes alight exit region E1 at which the light L3 exits from the upper face 953located above the hollow reflection part 960, and light exit regions E2at which the light L1, L2 exit from the upper surface 953 of thepointing part 951 and of the rearward part 952, respectively. Dark areasD, at which the amount of the exiting light is small due to therefraction at the hollow reflection part 960 and such, are formedbetween the light exit region E1 and the light exit region E2, therebycausing a problem that a driver and such visibly recognizes these darkareas D at the upper face 953 of the indicator part 950. In order toprevent the formation of such dark area D, it is possible to provide alight diffusing component or a filter member at the hollow reflectionpart 960; however, in this case, there will be another problem that thenumber of components is increased and the man-hour for assembling isincreased as well, causing an increase in the manufacturing cost of theindicator member

Furthermore, there is another problem that, as shown in FIG. 43, whenthe light receiving part 942 of the base part 940 receives the light Lexited from the distal end of the indicator shaft 914, a part L10 of theexited light does not travel toward the indicator part 950 but is leakedoutside of the indicator part 950, causing a decrease in the amount oflight entering the indicator part 950. Such problem related to theindicator shaft 914 is also caused in the indicator main body 931 (i.e.the indicator member) having the pointing part 951 extending only to thepointing direction S1 from the base part 940.

Thus, in view of the above-described problem, an object of the presentinvention is to provide an indicator member, an indicator unit and anindicator instrument which can prevent formation of a dark area at anupper face near a reflection part of an indicator part of an indicatormember fixed to a translucent indicator shaft.

Solution to Problem

(1.4)

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a first aspect, an indicator member made of translucentmaterial and having a base part arranged to receive light from a lightsource, an indicator part extending from one end of the base part toeach of a pointing direction and a rear end direction opposite of thepointing direction, and a reflection part provided at the indicator partand arranged at a location opposed to the base part so as to reflect thelight received at the base part toward the pointing direction and therear end direction, wherein the reflection part includes a plurality ofpartial reflection parts arranged in parallel in a widthwise directionof the indicator part, wherein each of the plurality of partialreflection parts includes at least a pointing direction reflection facearranged to reflect a part of the light received at the base part towardthe pointing direction and transmit another part of the light, a rearend direction reflection face connected to the pointing directionreflection face in an intersecting fashion and arranged to reflect apart of the light received at the base part toward the rear enddirection and transmit another part of the light, and a corner formed atan intersection of the pointing direction reflection face and the rearend direction reflection face and arranged at a location opposed to thebase part, and wherein the corners of the respective partial reflectionparts located adjacent to each other are displaced in the pointingdirection or the rear end direction.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a second aspect, the indicator member according to thefirst aspect wherein the reflection part is formed symmetric about awidthwise center of the indicator part.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a third aspect, the indicator member according to the firstor second aspect wherein the reflection part includes a first partialreflection part, a second partial reflection part and a third partialreflection part, wherein the corner of the first partial reflection partand the corner of the third partial reflection part are displaced in thesame fashion toward the rear end direction with respect to a center ofthe base part, and wherein the corner of the second partial reflectionpart is relatively displaced toward the pointing direction with respectto the corner of the first partial reflection part and the corner of thethird partial reflection part.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a fourth aspect, an indicator unit including the indicatormember described in any one of the first to third aspects, and a covermember arranged to cover the indicator part of the indicator member andhaving a slit though which the light from an upper face of the indicatorpart facing an opposite direction of the base part is passed.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a fifth aspect, an indicator instrument including theindicator unit described in the fourth aspect, a drive device arrangedto rotate an indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached inaccordance with measured quantity, and a light source which emits lightto be received at the indicator member of the indicator unit.

(2.4)

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a sixth aspect, an indicator member made of translucentmaterial and having a base part arranged to receive light from a lightsource, an indicator part extending from one end of the base part toeach of a pointing direction and a rear end direction opposite of thepointing direction, and a hollow reflection part provided in theindicator part and arranged at a location opposed to the base part so asto reflect the light received at the base part toward the pointingdirection and the rear end direction, wherein the hollow reflection partincludes a pointing direction reflection face arranged to reflect a partof the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction andtransmit another part of the light, a rear end direction reflection faceconnected to the pointing direction reflection face in an intersectingfashion and arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the basepart toward the rear end direction and transmit another part of thelight, and a transmission face connected to each of the pointingdirection reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face inan intersecting fashion and arranged to face an upper face of theindicator part, and wherein the transmission face is formed into aconvexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face of theindicator part from one end connected to the pointing directionreflection face to another end connected to the rear end directionreflection face.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a seventh aspect, an indicator unit including the indicatormember described in the sixth aspect, and a cover member arranged tocover the indicator part of the indicator member and having a slitthrough which the light from an upper face of the indicator part facingan opposite direction of the base part is passed.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in an eighth aspect, an indicator instrument including theindicator unit described in the seventh aspect, a drive device arrangedto rotate an indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached inaccordance with measured quantity, and a light source which emits lightto be received at an indicator member of the indicator unit.

(3.4)

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a ninth aspect, an indicator member made of translucentmaterial and having a base part arranged to receive light from a lightsource, an indicator part having a pointing part extending from one endof the base part to a pointing direction and a rearward part extendingto a rear end direction opposite of the pointing direction, and a hollowreflection part provided in the indicator part and arranged at alocation opposed to the base part so as to reflect the light received atthe base part toward the pointing direction and the rear end direction,wherein the hollow reflection part includes a pointing directionreflection face arranged to reflect a part of the light received at thebase part toward the pointing direction and transmit another part of thelight, a rear end direction reflection face connected to the pointingdirection reflection face in an intersecting fashion and arranged toreflect a part of the light received at the base part toward the rearend direction and transmit another part of the light, and a transmissionface connected to each of the pointing direction reflection face and therear end direction reflection face in an intersecting fashion, wherein anotch is provided at a bottom face of the pointing part facing the basepart, and wherein the notch includes an upward reflection face arrangedto reflect light reflected by the pointing direction reflection facetoward a section of the upper face of the pointing part at opposite sideof the bottom face, the section being adjacent to the hollow reflectionpart.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a tenth aspect, an indicator unit including the indicatormember described in the ninth aspect, and a cover member arranged tocover the indicator part of the indicator member and having a slitthrough which the light from the upper face of the indicator part ispassed, the upper face of the indicator part including an upper face ofthe pointing part.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a eleventh aspect, an indicator instrument including theindicator unit described in the tenth aspect, a drive device arranged torotate an indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached inaccordance with measured quantity, and a light source which emits lightto be received at the indicator member of the indicator unit.

(4.4)

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a twelfth aspect, an indicator member made of translucentmaterial and having a base part including a shaft receiving partattached to an end of an indicator shaft arranged to guide light from alight source, the base part being arranged to receive the light guidedin the indicator shaft, a pointing part extending from one end of thebase part to a pointing direction, and a pointing direction reflectionface arranged at the pointing part adjacent to the base part so as toreflect the light received at the base part toward a distal end of thepointing part, wherein a reflection part for indicator shaft is formedcontinuously from the base part to the pointing part so as to reflectlight heading from the indicator shaft to outside of the base parttoward an upper face of the pointing part adjacent to the pointingdirection reflection face.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a thirteenth aspect, the indicator member according to thetwelfth aspect wherein the reflection part for indicator shaft includesa light guide part formed continuously from the base part to thepointing part and arranged to guide the light heading from the indicatorshaft to outside of the base part, and a reflection face for indicatorshaft arranged to reflect the light guided in the light guide parttoward the upper face of the pointing part adjacent to the pointingdirection reflection face.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a fourteenth aspect, the indicator member according to thetwelfth or thirteenth aspect including a rearward part extending fromone end of the base part to a rear end direction opposite of thepointing direction, and a rear end direction reflection face provided atthe rearward part adjacent to the base part so as to reflect the lightreceived at the base part toward the rearward part, wherein thereflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the basepart to the rearward part so as to reflect light heading from theindicator shaft to outside of the base part toward an upper face of therearward part adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a fifteenth aspect, an indicator member made of translucentmaterial and having a base part including a shaft receiving partattached to an end of an indicator shaft arranged to guide light from alight source, the base part being arranged to receive the light guidedin the indicator shaft, a pointing part extending from one end of thebase part to a pointing direction, a rearward part extending from theone end of the base part to a rear end direction opposite of thepointing direction, a pointing direction reflection face arranged at thepointing part adjacent to the base part so as to reflect the lightreceived at the base part toward a distal end of the pointing part, anda rear end direction reflection face provided at the rearward partadjacent to the base part so as to reflect the light received at thebase part toward the rearward part, wherein a reflection part forindicator shaft is formed continuously from the base part to therearward part so as to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft tooutside of the base part toward an upper face of the rearward partadjacent to the rear end direction reflection face.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a sixteenth aspect, the indicator member according to anyone of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects wherein the reflection part forindicator shaft includes a plurality of partial reflection faces alignedin a widthwise direction of the indicator member.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a seventeenth aspect, an indicator unit including theindicator member described in any one of the twelfth to sixteenthaspects, and a cover member arranged to cover the indicator member andhaving a slit through which the light from an upper face of theindicator member is passed.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in an eighteenth aspect, the indicator unit according to theseventeenth aspect wherein the reflection part for indicator shaft ofthe indicator member includes a reflection face for slit projecting fromthe base part to the widthwise direction of the indicator member so asto reflect light heading from the indicator shaft to an inner face ofthe cover member toward a slit of the cover member adjacent to thepointing direction reflection face.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a nineteenth aspect, an indicator unit including anindicator member made of translucent material and a cover member,wherein the indicator member includes a base part including a shaftreceiving part attached to an end of an indicator shaft arranged toguide light from a light source, the base part being arranged to receivethe light guided in the indicator shaft, a pointing part extending fromone end of the base part to a pointing direction, and a pointingdirection reflection face arranged at the pointing part adjacent to thebase part so as to reflect the light received at the base part toward adistal end of the pointing part, wherein the cover member is arranged tocover the indicator member and having a slit through which the lightfrom an upper face of the indicator member is passed, and wherein theindicator unit further includes a reflection face for slit projectingfrom the base part to a widthwise direction of the indicator member soas to reflect light heading from the indicator shaft to an inner face ofthe cover member toward a slit of the cover member adjacent to thepointing direction reflection face.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a twentieth aspect, the indicator unit according to thenineteenth aspect wherein the indicator member includes a rearward partextending from one end of the base part to a rear end direction oppositeof the pointing direction, and a rear end direction reflection faceprovided at the rearward part adjacent to the base part so as to reflectthe light received at the base part toward the rearward part, whereinthe reflection face for slit is arranged to reflect light heading fromthe indicator shaft to the inner face of the cover member toward a slitof the cover member adjacent to the rear end direction reflection face.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the present inventionprovides, in a twenty-first aspect, an indicator instrument includingthe indicator unit described in any one of the seventeenth to twentiethaspects, a drive device having the indicator shaft to which theindicator unit is attached, the drive device being arranged to rotatethe indicator shaft in accordance with measured quantity, and a lightsource which emits light to be guided in the indicator shaft of thedrive device.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

(1.5)

According to the invention described in the first to fifth aspects, thereflection part provided at the indicator part of the indicator memberincludes the plurality of partial reflection parts including at leastthe pointing direction reflection face, the rear end directionreflection face and the corner formed at the intersection of thepointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflectionface and arranged at the location opposed to the base part, wherein thecorners of the respective partial reflection parts located adjacent toeach other are displaced in the pointing direction or the rear enddirection. Thus, the corners at which the brightness of the lighttransmitted through the pointing direction reflection face or the rearend direction reflection face are not concentrated at one location butare dispersed in the pointing direction and in the rear end direction.Therefore, even if the corner of one of the partial reflection parts isarranged toward the rear end direction to reflect more light toward thepointing direction, the corners of the other ones of the partialreflection parts are displaced toward the pointing direction so as to beplaced near the end at the pointing direction side and the end at therear end direction side of an upper region of the reflection part.Therefore, the brightness near the both ends of this region can bemaintained, thereby preventing a dark area from being formed at alocation above the reflection part at a low cost without providing alight diffusing member or the like.

According to the invention described in the second aspect, thereflection part is formed symmetric about the widthwise center of theindicator part, thereby preventing non-uniformity in the brightness inthe widthwise direction.

(2.5)

According to the invention described in the sixth to eighth aspects, thehollow reflection part provided at the indicator part of the indicatormember includes the pointing direction reflection face, the rear enddirection reflection face and the transmission face, and thistransmission face is formed into the convexly curved surface which isconvex toward the upper face of the indicator part from one endconnected to the pointing direction reflection face to another endconnected to the rear end direction reflection face. Thus, for the lightwhich has transmitted through each of the pointing direction reflectionface and the rear end direction reflection face, the incidence angle ofthis light with respect to the transmission face is adjusted such thatthe light is refracted so that the spread angle of the light which hasentered the transmission face is increased compared to said spread anglein the case of the transmission face formed into the flat surface.Therefore, by adjusting the shape of the transmission face andoptimizing the spread angle of the light can prevent the dark area frombeing formed near the location at the upper face of the indicator partand at the extension of the pointing direction reflection face and therear end direction reflection face, thereby preventing non-uniformity inthe brightness at the upper face of the indicator part at a low costwithout providing a light diffusing member or the like.

(3.5)

According to the invention described in the ninth to eleventh aspects,the indicator member includes the notch provided at the bottom face ofthe pointing part facing the base part, and the notch includes theupward reflection face which reflects the light reflected by thepointing direction reflection face toward the section of the upper faceof the pointing part at opposite side of the bottom face, the sectionbeing adjacent to the hollow reflection part. Thus, without making thepointing part to be thin since the notch is formed into the notchedshape, the light reflected by the pointing direction reflection face canbe reflected toward the upper face of the pointing part by the upwardreflection face of the notch. Thus, the amount of light exiting fromsaid section can be increased, thereby preventing the dark area frombeing formed at said section and preventing the non-uniformity in thebrightness at the upper face of the indicator part.

(4.5)

According to the invention described in the twelfth aspect, thereflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the basepart to the pointing part so as to reflect the light heading from theindicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part tothe outside of the base part toward the upper face of the pointing partadjacent to the pointing direction reflection face. Thus, the lightleaking from the base part to the outside of the indicator member can bereduced, and this light can be guided toward the upper face of thepointing part near the end of the pointing direction reflection face,thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face ofthe pointing part. Therefore, the non-uniformity in the brightness atthe upper face (i.e. the light-emitting face) of the indicator membercan be prevented, and the lighting quality can be improved. Furthermore,since there is no need to provide the light diffusing component forpreventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face of thepointing part at the pointing direction reflection face, the number ofcomponents can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicatormember.

In addition to the effect of the invention of the twelfth aspect,according to the invention described in the thirteenth aspect, thereflection part for indicator shaft includes the light guide part andthe reflection face for indicator shaft, thus the light heading from theindicator shaft to the outside of the pointing part can be guided by thelight guide part toward the pointing part and the reflection face forindicator shaft. Thus, the light leaking from the base part to theoutside of the indicator member can be reduced even more.

In addition to the effect of the invention of the twelfth or thirteenthaspect, according to the invention described in the fourteenth aspect,the reflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from thebase part to the rearward part so as to reflect light heading from theindicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part tothe outside of the base part toward the upper face of the rearward partadjacent to the rear end direction reflection face. Thus, the lightleaking from the base part to the outside of the indicator member can bereduced, and this light can be guided toward the upper face of therearward part near the end of the rear end direction reflection face,thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face ofthe rearward part. Therefore, the non-uniformity in the brightness canbe prevented from being produced at the upper face of the indicatormember from the distal end of the pointing part to the rear end of therearward part, thereby allowing the upper face of the indicator memberto emit light with uniform brightness.

According to the invention described in the fifteenth aspect, thereflection part for indicator shaft is formed continuously from the basepart to the rearward part so as to reflect the light heading from theindicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part of the base part tothe outside of the base part toward the upper face of the rearward partadjacent to the rear end direction reflection face. Thus, the lightleaking from the base part to the outside of the indicator member can bereduced, and this light can be guided toward the upper face of therearward part near the end of the rear end direction reflection face,thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face ofthe rearward part. Therefore, the non-uniformity in the brightness atthe upper face (i.e. the light-emitting face) of the indicator membercan be prevented, and the lighting quality can be improved. Furthermore,since there is no need to provide the light diffusing component forpreventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face of thepointing part at the pointing direction reflection face, the number ofcomponents can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicatormember.

In addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of thetwelfth to fifteenth aspects, according to the invention described inthe sixteenth aspect, the reflection part for indicator shaft includesthe plurality of partial reflection faces aligned in the widthwisedirection of the indicator member. Therefore, various reflection faceshaving the different shapes can be combined, thus the light from theindicator shaft toward the outside of the base part can be reflectedtoward the upper face of the indicator member adjacent to the pointingdirection reflection face and the rear end direction reflection faceeven more reliably.

According to the invention described in the seventeenth aspect, theindicator member which prevents the dark area from being formed at theupper face of the pointing part is covered by the cover member, and theupper face of the pointing part is exposed from the slit of the covermember. Thus, the entire slit can emit light with the uniformbrightness, thereby improving the lighting quality. Furthermore, sincethere is no need to provide the diffusing component for preventing thedark area from being formed at the pointing direction reflection face,the number of components can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost ofthe indicator unit.

In addition to the effect of the invention described in the seventeenthaspect, according to the invention described in the eighteenth aspect,the reflection face for slit is formed to project from the base part tothe widthwise direction of the indicator member so as to reflect thelight heading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving partof the base part to the inner face of the cover member toward the slitof the cover member adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face.Thus, the brightness of the slit adjacent to the pointing directionreflection face can be prevented from being low, thereby allowing theentire slit to emit light with the uniform brightness even morereliably.

According to the invention described in the nineteenth aspect, the lightheading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receiving part ofthe base part to the inner face of the cover member is reflected by thereflection face for slit toward the slit of the cover member adjacent tothe pointing direction reflection face. Thus, even if the dark area isformed at the upper face of the pointing part, the light from thereflection face for slit can be directed to exit from the slit locatedadjacent to this dark area to the outside. Thus, the entire slit fromthe distal end of the pointing part to the rear end of the rearward partcan emit light with the uniform brightness, thereby improving thelighting quality. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide thediffusing component for preventing the dark area from being formed atthe pointing direction reflection face, the number of components can bereduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicator unit.

In addition to the effect of the invention described in the nineteenthaspect, according to the invention described in the twentieth aspect,the light heading from the indicator shaft fixed to the shaft receivingpart of the base part to the inner face of the cover member is reflectedby the reflection face for slit toward the slit of the cover memberadjacent to the rear end direction reflection face. Thus, even if thedark area is formed at the upper face of the rearward part, the lightfrom the reflection face for slit can be directed to exit from the slitlocated adjacent to this dark area to the outside. Thus, the entire slitfrom the distal end of the pointing part to the rear end of the rearwardpart can emit light with the uniform brightness, thereby improving thelighting quality. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide thediffusing component for preventing the formation of the dark area at therear end direction reflection face, the number of components can bereduced, thereby reducing the cost of the indicator unit.

According to the invention described in the twenty-first aspect, theindicator unit described in any one of the seventeenth to twentiethaspects, the indicator unit which prevents the dark area from beingformed at the upper face of the pointing part of the indicator member isrotated by the drive device, and the indicator unit is made luminous bythe light from the light source guided in the indicator shaft of thedrive device. Thus, the entire slit of the indicator unit can emit lightwith the uniform brightness, thereby improving the lighting quality.Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the diffusing componentfor preventing the formation of the dark area at the pointing directionreflection face, the number of components can be reduced, therebyreducing the cost of the indicator unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1.6)

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a vehicle display device as oneembodiment of an indicator instrument according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a light-emitting indicator (indicatorunit) included in the vehicle display device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a partial perspective view of an indicator main body of thelight-emitting indicator of FIG. 2 seen from an angle;

FIG. 3B is a partial side view of an indicator part of the indicatormain body seen from a widthwise direction;

FIG. 3C is a partial perspective view of the indicator part of theindicator main body seen from top;

FIG. 4A illustrates light which is reflected and transmitted by a hollowreflection part of the indicator main body of FIGS. 3A to 3C;

FIG. 4B shows brightness distribution at a region at an upper face ofthe indicator part located above the hollow reflection part;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view showing an arrangement of amodified example of the light-emitting indicator of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 shows an arrangement of a conventional indicator instrument andlight-emitting indicator;

FIG. 7A illustrates light which is reflected by or transmitting a hollowreflection part of the indicator main body of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7B shows brightness distribution at a region at an upper face ofthe indicator part located above the hollow reflection part; and

FIG. 8 shows the light-emitting indicator of FIG. 6 provided with alight diffusing member in the hollow reflection part.

(2.6)

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of a vehicle display device as oneembodiment of an indicator instrument according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a light-emitting indicator (indicatorunit) included in the vehicle display device of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11A is a partial perspective view of an indicator main body of thelight-emitting indicator of FIG. 10 seen from an angle;

FIG. 11B is a partial side view of an indicator part of the indicatormain body seen from a widthwise direction;

FIG. 12 illustrates light which is reflected by and transmitting ahollow reflection part of the indicator main body of FIGS. 11A, 11B;

FIG. 13 shows an enlarged view of the hollow reflection part of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 illustrates light traveling in a pointing direction reflectionface and a rear end direction reflection face in the hollow reflectionpart of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15A illustrates a spread angle α 1 of the light after entering atransmission face formed into a flat surface;

FIG. 15B illustrates a spread angle α 2 of the light after entering atransmission face formed into a convexly curved surface;

FIG. 15C illustrates a spread angle α 3 of the light after entering atransmission face formed into a convexly curved surface having a degreeof swelling (i.e. curvature) larger than the transmission face of FIG.15B;

FIG. 15D illustrates a spread angle α 4 of the light after entering atransmission face formed into a convexly curved surface having a degreeof swelling (i.e. curvature) larger than the transmission face of FIG.15C;

FIG. 16 is a partial cross sectional view showing an arrangement of amodified example of the light-emitting indicator of FIG. 10;

FIG. 17 shows an arrangement of a conventional indicator instrument andlight-emitting indicator;

FIG. 18 illustrates light which is reflected by and transmitting ahollow reflection part of an indicator main body of the light-emittingindicator of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 illustrates light traveling near the hollow reflection part ofFIG. 18;

FIG. 20 shows the light-emitting indicator of FIG. 17 provided with alight diffusing member in the hollow reflection part.

(3.6)

FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view of a vehicle display device as oneembodiment of an indicator instrument according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 22 is an exploded view of a light-emitting indicator (indicatorunit) included in the vehicle display device of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23A is a partial perspective view of an indicator main body of thelight-emitting indicator of FIG. 22 seen from an angle;

FIG. 23B is a partial side view of an indicator part of the indicatormain body seen from a widthwise direction;

FIG. 24A shows an arrangement of a first modified example of a notchportion (i.e. arc-shape) provided at the indicator main body of FIGS.23A, 23B;

FIG. 24B shows an arrangement of a second modified example of the notchportion (i.e. only at a widthwise center);

FIG. 24C shows an arrangement of a third modified example of the notchportion (i.e. only at both widthwise ends);

FIG. 24D shows an arrangement of a fourth modified example of the notchportion (i.e. having a reflection layer);

FIG. 25 illustrates light traveling in the indicator part of theindicator main body of FIG. 23A, 23B;

FIG. 26 shows an arrangement of a modified example of the indicator mainbody of FIG. 23A, 23B;

FIG. 27 is a partial cross sectional view showing an arrangement of amodified example of the light-emitting indicator of FIG. 22;

FIG. 28 shows an arrangement of a conventional indicator instrument anda light-emitting indicator;

FIG. 29 illustrates light traveling in an indicator part of an indicatormain body of the light-emitting indicator of FIG. 28; and

FIG. 30 shows an arrangement of an indicator main body included inanother conventional light-emitting indicator.

(4.6)

FIG. 31 is a cross sectional view of a vehicle display device as oneembodiment of an indicator instrument according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 32 is an exploded view of a light-emitting indicator (indicatorunit) included in the vehicle display device of FIG. 31;

FIG. 33 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the light-emittingindicator (indicator unit) included in the vehicle display device ofFIG. 31;

FIG. 34 is a partial enlarged perspective view showing a reflection parfor indicator shaft of an indicator member;

FIG. 35 is a partial enlarged perspective view showing another exampleof a reflection par for indicator shaft of the indicator member;

FIG. 36 is a cross sectional view which illustrates another example of areflection par for indicator shaft projecting in a widthwise directionof the indicator member;

FIG. 37A is an enlarged perspective view of the reflection par forindicator shaft of FIG. 36;

FIG. 37B is a front view of the reflection par for indicator shaft ofFIG. 36;

FIG. 38 is a cross sectional view of the reflection par for indicatorshaft of FIG. 36 having a convex face;

FIG. 39 is a cross sectional view of the reflection par for indicatorshaft of FIG. 36 having a concave face;

FIG. 40 is a cross sectional view illustrating another embodiment of theindicator unit;

FIG. 41 is a cross sectional view showing an arrangement of aconventional indicator instrument and light-emitting indicator;

FIG. 42 illustrates light which is reflected by and transmitting ahollow reflection part provided at an indicator main body of thelight-emitting indicator of FIG. 41; and

FIG. 43 illustrates a dark area formed at an upper face of thelight-emitting indicator of FIG. 41 which is caused by the hollowreflection part.

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

(1.7)

-   -   1 vehicle display device (indicator instrument)    -   3 light-emitting indicator (indicator unit)    -   4 drive device    -   6 light source    -   14 indicator shaft    -   31 indicator main body (indicator member)    -   32 cover member    -   40 base part    -   41 base part main body    -   41 a upper end of base part main body (one end of base part)    -   42 light receiving part    -   50 indicator part    -   51 pointing part    -   52 rearward part    -   53 upper face of indicator part    -   54 bottom face of indicator part    -   60 hollow reflection part (reflection part)    -   61, 62, 63 partial reflection part    -   611, 621, 631 pointing direction reflection face    -   612, 622, 632 rear end direction reflection face    -   613, 623, 633 transmission face    -   61 a, 62 a, 63 a corner formed at intersection of pointing        direction reflection face and rear end direction reflection face    -   S1 pointing direction    -   S2 rear end direction

(2.7)

-   -   1 vehicle display device (indicator instrument)    -   3 light-emitting indicator (indicator unit)    -   4 drive device    -   6 light source    -   14 indicator shaft    -   31 indicator main body (indicator member)    -   32 cover member    -   40 base part    -   41 base part main body    -   41 a upper end of base part main body (one end of base part)    -   42 light receiving part    -   50 indicator part    -   51 pointing part    -   52 rearward part    -   53 upper face of indicator part    -   54 bottom face of indicator part    -   60 hollow reflection part (reflection part)    -   61 pointing direction reflection face    -   62 rear end direction reflection face    -   63 transmission face    -   60 a corner formed at intersection of pointing direction        reflection face and rear end direction reflection face    -   S1 pointing direction    -   S2 rear end direction

(3.7)

-   -   1 vehicle display device (indicator instrument)    -   3 light-emitting indicator (indicator unit)    -   4 drive device    -   6 light source    -   14 indicator shaft    -   31 indicator main body (indicator member)    -   32 cover member    -   40 base part    -   41 base part main body    -   41 a upper end of base part main body (one end of base part)    -   42 light receiving part    -   50 indicator part    -   51 pointing part    -   52 rearward part    -   53 upper face of indicator part    -   531 upper face of pointing part    -   532 upper face of rearward part    -   54 bottom face of indicator part (bottom face of pointing part)    -   56 notch    -   56 a first reflection face (upward reflection face)    -   60 hollow reflection part    -   61 pointing direction reflection face    -   62 rear end direction reflection face    -   63 transmission face    -   60 a corner formed at intersection of pointing direction        reflection face and rear end direction reflection face    -   S1 pointing direction    -   S2 rear end direction

(4.7)

-   -   1 vehicle display device (indicator instrument)    -   3 light-emitting indicator (indicator unit)    -   4 drive device    -   6 a, 6 b light source    -   14 indicator shaft    -   31 indicator main body (indicator member)    -   32 cover member    -   40 base part    -   41 shaft receiving part    -   42 light receiving part    -   50 indicator part    -   51 pointing part    -   52 rearward part    -   53 upper face of indicator part    -   54 bottom face of indicator part    -   60 hollow reflection part (reflection part)    -   61 pointing direction reflection face    -   62 rear end direction reflection face    -   70 reflection part for indicator shaft    -   73, 75 light guide part    -   74, 76 reflection face for indicator shaft    -   S1 pointing direction    -   S2 rear end direction

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(1.8)

In the following, a vehicle display device as one embodiment of anindicator instrument according to the present invention is explained inreference to FIGS. 1 through 4B.

In FIG. 1, a vehicle display device 1 is a speed meter which displays avehicle speed, for example. The vehicle display device 1 includes a dialplate 2 having a surface 2 a (i.e. a surface which is visible by aviewer) provided with indexes such as scale marks and numbers, lettersor symbols, a light-emitting indicator (hereinafter called an indicator)3 as an indicator unit positioned on the surface 2 a of the dial plate2, a drive device 4 having an indicator shaft 14 including a distal endat which the indicator 3 is attached, a circuit board 5 including acircuit pattern, an electronic component and such and including thedrive device 4 fixed to the circuit board 5, a plurality of lightsources 6 provided at the circuit board 5, a case 7 having a taperedportion 7 a formed from a central portion of the circuit board 5 towardan edge of the dial plate 2, a back cover 8 covering a back side of thecircuit board 5, and a front glass 9.

The dial plate 2 is a member formed into a substantially circular plateshape made of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin such aspolycarbonate, for example. The surface 2 a of the dial plate 2 includesa light-blocking region at which light-blocking ink is printed, and anindex as a translucent design formed by removing (or not printing) thelight-blocking ink along a shape of a letter and a scale and such. Eachindex becomes luminous and visible by being irradiated from a back sideof the dial plate 2 by the later-described light source 6.

The indicator 3 is arranged adjacent to the surface 2 a of the dialplate 2 and is arranged to point to the respective indexes provided atthe dial plate 2, thereby displaying a measured value in cooperationwith the respective indexes. As shown in FIG. 2, the indicator 3includes an indicator main body 31 as an indicator member, a covermember 32 made of translucent synthetic resin and covering the indicatormain body 31, and a balance member 39 arranged inside of the covermember 32 to adjust the balance of the indicator 3.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the indicator main body 31 includes a basepart 40 and an indicator part 50 which are integrally formed usingtranslucent synthetic resin as translucent material such aspolycarbonate resin and acrylic resin.

The base part 40 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 41and a light receiving part 42 arranged at an inner side of the base partmain body 41 and arranged adjacent to an upper end 41 a. The base partmain body 41 is fixed to an indicator shaft 14 in a coaxial fashion byinserting and fitting the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 into alower end 41 b. Thus, a center of the base part main body 41 coincideswith a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. The light receivingpart 42 is formed into a flat surface having a circular shape identicalto the inner side of the base part main body 41 so that when theindicator shaft 14 is fitted to the base part main body 41, the lightreceiving part 42 is arranged to face to an end face 14 a of the distalend of the indicator shaft 14 with an interval. Of course, the shape ofthe light receiving part 42 is not limited to the flat surface and maybe a curved surface, a shape formed by combining several faces, or anyother shape which can receive the light from the light source. Inaddition, the light receiving part 42 may be arranged in close contactwith the end face 14 a of the indicator shaft 14.

The indicator part 50 is connected to an upper end 41 a of the base partmain body 41 (i.e. one end of the base part 40). The indicator part 50includes a pointing part 51 extending from the upper end 41 a to onedirection (i.e. a pointing direction S1) which is perpendicular (orsubstantially perpendicular) to the shaft center P, and a rearward part52 extending to the other direction (i.e. a rear end direction S2) whichis opposite of said one direction and extending shorter than thepointing part 51, with a boundary at the shaft center P of the indicatorshaft 14. In other words, the indicator part 50 extends from the upperend 41 a of the base part main body 41 to each of the pointing directionS1 and the rear end direction S2. The pointing direction S1 and the rearend direction S2 match with or substantially match with a radialdirection of the indicator shaft 14. The pointing direction S1 and therear end direction S2 correspond to a longitudinal direction of theindicator part 50. Furthermore, the indicator part 50 is provided with ahollow reflection part 60 as a reflection part.

A bottom face 54, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 facing thebase part 40, is provided with a reflection layer 54 a which isoverlapped to the bottom face 54 and colored in white or silver, forexample, using a hot stamping or the like so as to reflect the lightentering the bottom face 54 from inside of the indicator part 50. Anupper face 53, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 at oppositeside of the bottom face 54, is provided with a diffusion layer 53 awhich is overlapped to the upper face 53 and colored in red, forexample, using a hot stamping or the like so as to diffuse the lightexiting from the upper face 53. Alternatively, the reflection layer 54 aand the diffusion layer 53 a may be formed at the bottom face 54 and theupper face 53 by forming embossment or fine prism structure.Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reflection layer 54 a is providedonly at the bottom face 54 adjacent to the pointing part 51; however, asimilar reflection layer 54 a may be provided also to the bottom face 54adjacent to the rearward part 52. In the following description, the term“bottom face 54” indicates the surface of the indicator part 50 adjacentto the base part 40 including the reflection layer 54 a, and the term“upper face 53” indicates the surface of the indicator part 50 at theopposite side of the bottom face 54 including the diffusion layer 53 a.Also, the bottom face 54 and the reflection layer 54 a, as well as theupper face 53 and the diffusion layer 53 a are described distinctivelyonly when necessary. In addition, only one of the reflection layer 54 aand the diffusion layer 53 a may be provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the hollow reflection part 60 is arrangedin the indicator part 50 and arranged adjacent to the upper end 41 a ofthe base part main body 41 and is arranged at a location opposed to thelight receiving part 42 of the base part 40. The hollow reflection part60 includes a first partial reflection part 61, a second partialreflection part 62 and a third partial reflection part 63. The pluralityof partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63 is arranged in parallel in orderof the first partial reflection part 61, the second partial reflectionpart 62 and the third partial reflection part 63 in the widthwisedirection of the indicator part 50 (i.e. front-back directionperpendicular to a plane of paper in FIG. 3B).

The first partial reflection part 61 is formed into a substantiallytriangular shape and includes a pointing direction reflection face 611,a rear end direction reflection face 612 and a transmission face 613,each being formed into a substantially flat surface.

The pointing direction reflection face 611 is arranged such that one endthereof at a lower side in the drawing is located adjacent to the basepart 40. The pointing direction reflection face 611 is slanted so as togradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of the shaftcenter P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction in FIG. 3B)as the pointing direction reflection face 611 extends from said one endto the pointing direction S1 (i.e. a left direction in FIG. 3B). Thus,the pointing direction reflection face 611 reflects a part L1 of light Lreceived at the light receiving part 42 to the pointing direction S1,and transmits other part L3 of this light L toward the transmission face613.

The rear end direction reflection face 612 has one end intersecting withand connected to the one end of the pointing direction reflection face611 in an intersecting fashion. The rear end direction reflection face612 is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in adirection of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upperdirection in FIG. 3B) as the rear end direction reflection face 612extends from said one end to the rear end direction S2 (i.e. a rightdirection in FIG. 3B). That is, the rear end direction reflection face612 is intersecting with and connected to the pointing directionreflection face 611 in an intersecting fashion. Thus, the rear enddirection reflection face 612 reflects a part L2 of the light L receivedat the light receiving part 42 to the rear end direction S2, andtransmits other part L3 of this light L toward the transmission face613.

The transmission face 613 is arranged such that one end thereof isconnected to the other end of the pointing direction reflection face 611located adjacent to an upper side in the drawing, and the other end ofthe transmission face 613 is connected to the other end of the rear enddirection reflection face 612 located adjacent to the upper side in thedrawing. That is, the transmission face 613 is connected to each of thepointing direction reflection face 611 and the rear end directionreflection face 612. The transmission face 613 is arranged to face theupper face 53 of the indicator part 50. The transmission face 613 andthe upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 are substantially parallel toeach other. Furthermore, a center of the transmission face 613 inlongitudinal direction (i.e. a left-right direction in FIG. 3B) islocated on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. Of course, thetransmission face 613 may not be parallel to the upper face 53, and thelocation of the transmission face 613 is not limited to theabove-described embodiment.

The pointing direction reflection face 611 is formed larger (i.e. longerin a longitudinal direction of the indicator part 50) than the rear enddirection reflection face 612. Thus, a corner 61 a, which is formed atan intersection of the pointing direction reflection face 611 and therear end direction reflection face 612, is located toward the rear enddirection S2 with respect to the shaft center P of the indicator shaft14.

In the same way as the first partial reflection part 61, the secondpartial reflection part 62 is formed into a substantially isoscelestriangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 621, a rearend direction reflection face 622 and a transmission face 623. Thepointing direction reflection face 621 and the rear end directionreflection face 622 of the second partial reflection part 62 are formedinto the same size (i.e. the same length in the longitudinal directionof the indicator part 50). When seen from the widthwise direction of theindicator part 50, the second partial reflection part 62 is smaller thanthe partial reflection part 61 such that the second partial reflectionpart 62 is entirely housed within the outer shape of the first partialreflection part 61. A corner 62 a, which is formed at an intersection ofthe pointing direction reflection face 621 and the rear end directionreflection face 622, is located on the shaft center P of the indicatorshaft 14.

The third partial reflection part 63 is formed into a substantiallytriangular shape with a pointing direction reflection face 631, a rearend direction reflection face 632 and a transmission face 633 and isformed into the same shape as the first partial reflection part 61. Whenseen from the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50, the thirdpartial reflection part 63 is located so as to overlap identically withthe first partial reflection part 61.

For these multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63, the respectivecorners 61 a, 62 a, 63 a are arranged adjacent to the light receivingpart 42 of the base part 40. Also, as shown in FIG. 3C, the corner 61 aof the first partial reflection part 61 and the corner 63 a of the thirdpartial reflection part 63 are displaced toward the rear end directionS2 with respect to the shaft center P but are located at the sameposition when seen from the widthwise direction so as to overlap eachother. The corner 62 a of the second partial reflection part 62 ispositioned on the shaft center P and is displaced toward the pointingdirection S1 relatively with respect to the corner 61 a of the firstpartial reflection part 61 and the corner 63 a of the third partialreflection part 63.

The hollow reflection part 60 is formed such that one section (i.e. afrontward section in the plane of paper in FIG. 3B) and the othersection (i.e. a backward section in the plane of paper in FIG. 3B) areformed into the same shape, the one section and the other section beingdivided at a boundary plane which is a plane including a widthwisecenter of the indicator part 50 (i.e. a plane parallel to the plane ofpaper in FIG. 3B). In other words, the hollow reflection part 60 isformed to be symmetric about the widthwise center of the indicator part50. Furthermore, the thicknesses of the multiple partial reflectionparts 61, 62, 63 (i.e. the sizes in the widthwise direction of theindicator part 50) are identical to each other.

The hollow reflection part 60 and the multiple partial reflection parts61, 62, 63 are not limited to the shape and arrangement described above.For example, i) the hollow reflection part 60 may be provided with morethan three partial reflection parts, ii) all of the corners 61 a, 62 a,63 a of the respective multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63 maybe displaced toward the pointing direction S1 or toward the rear enddirection S2, e.g. in FIG. 3C the corner 63 a of the third partialreflection part 63 may be displaced relatively with respect to thecorner 62 a of the second partial reflection part 62 toward the pointingdirection S1, and iii) each of the multiple partial reflection parts 61,62, 63 may have different thickness with respect to each other. That is,the arrangement, i.e. shape, position and such, of the hollow reflectionpart and the multiple partial reflection parts may be determined in asuitable manner in accordance with the arrangement of the indicator mainbody and such, without departing from the object of the presentinvention.

The indicator main body 31 reflects and transmits the light received atthe light receiving part 42 of the base part 40 by the hollow reflectionpart 60 and guides the light in the indicator part 50 to exit from theupper face 53 of the indicator part 50. By doing so, the upper face 53of the indicator part 50 emits light, and thus the upper face 53 becomesluminous and visible through a slit 71 of the cover member 32.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cover member 32 includes an upper cover 33 and alower cover 38 which are divided in an up-down direction.

The upper cover 33 includes a first cover portion 34 formed into asubstantially rectangular tube shape which gets gradually thinner from arear end 34 b toward a distal end 34 a in accordance with the outershape of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31, and asecond cover portion 35 formed into a circular dish covering around thebase part 40 of the indicator main body 31. The first cover portion 34and the second cover portion 35 are arranged to open downward in thedrawing, and the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 ishoused inside from this opening.

An upper wall portion 34 c of the first cover portion 34 is providedwith the slit 71 extending from the rear end 34 b to the distal end 34a. When the indicator main body 31 and the cover member 32 are attachedtogether, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicatormain body 31 is exposed from this slit 71 in a straight line fashionthroughout in the longitudinal direction of the upper face 53. In otherwords, the slit 71 is formed along the longitudinal direction of theindicator part 50. The length and the width of the slit 71 may bedesigned arbitrarily in accordance with the design of the indicator 3,for example. Furthermore, a translucent coloring member or a lightdiffusing member may be provided in the slit 71, for example, as long asthe slit 71 is arranged to pass the light exited from the upper face ofthe indicator part 50 therethrough. Furthermore, an inner face of thesecond cover portion 35 is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown)which is formed to protrude downward in the drawing and arranged to fitto a pair of fitting holes 38 d of the lower cover 38.

The lower cover 38 includes an annular plate-shaped first cover section38 a formed in accordance with the shape of the opening of the secondcover portion 35 of the upper cover 33, a strip-shaped second coversection 38 b radially extending from the first cover section 38 a andformed in accordance with the shape of the opening at the distal endside portion of the first cover portion 34 of the upper cover 33 whichhouses the pointing part 51 of the indicator part 50, a penetrating part38 c provided at the first cover section 38 a and arranged to pass thebase part 40 of the indicator main body 31 therethrough, the pair offitting holes 38 d arranged at the first cover section 38 a inaccordance with the pair of bosses of the upper cover 33, and anattachment boss 38 e at which the balance member 39 is attached. Whenattached to the upper cover 33, the lower cover 38 covers the openingsof the first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 to form aspace for housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31with the upper cover 33. By housing the indicator part 50 of theindicator main body 31 in this housing space, the light exited from thesurface of the bottom face 54 and such of the indicator part 50 isprevented from irradiating the dial plate 2 and such.

The balance member 39 is formed to have weight which is set in view ofthe indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31. The balance member39 includes a fitting hole 39 a arranged to fit to the attachment boss38 e provided at the lower cover 38 of the cover member 32. The balancemember 39 is positioned by the attachment boss 38 e and housed in thecover member 32.

The indicator 3 having the above-described structure may be assembled asexplained below. Firstly, the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31is passed through the penetrating part 38 c of the lower cover 38 toinstall the indicator main body 31 to the lower cover 38 and install thebalance member 39 to the lower cover 38. Then, the upper cover 33 ismoved closer to the indicator main body 31 from the side of the upperface 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 so as tocover the indicator main body 31, and the pair of boss provided in thesecond cover of the upper cover 33 is fitted into the pair of fittingholes 38 d of the lower cover 38, by which the upper cover 33 and thelower cover 38 are fixed to each other so that the indicator main body31 is housed in the cover member 32, and the assembling is completed.

The drive device 4 is a known stepping motor. The drive device 4includes the indicator shaft 14 formed into a substantially circularcylindrical shape and made of translucent synthetic resin such aspolycarbonate resin and a main body portion 15 arranged to rotatablysupport the indicator shaft 14 and rotate the indicator shaft 14 on theprinciple of the stepping motor in accordance with measured quantity ofspeed obtained by a speed sensor not shown. A bottom face 15 a of themain body portion 15 placed over the later-described circuit board 5 isprovided with a recessed portion 15 b, and an end face 14 b of theindicator shaft 14 at the lower side in the drawing is exposed in thisrecessed portion 15 b. The base part 40 of the indicator main body 31described above is attached to the distal end of the indicator shaft 14at the upper side in the drawing. The indicator shaft 14 is arranged torotate the indicator main body 31 and function as the light guide memberto guide the light to the base part 40.

The circuit board 5 is a known printed board provided for example withelectronic components and a wiring pattern which electrically connectsthese electronic components and such. A surface of the circuit board 5facing the dial plate 2 is mounted with the drive device 4 and theplurality of light sources 6.

The plurality of light sources 6 includes a LED, a bulb and such and iscontrolled to light up and out by a control unit not shown provided atthe circuit board 5. The plurality of light sources 6 emits light toilluminate the indexes of the dial plate 2 and the indicator main body31 of the indicator 3 and such. Furthermore, one of the plurality oflight sources 6 is arranged in the recessed portion 15 b of the mainbody portion 15 of the drive device 4 so as to face the end face 14 b ofthe indicator shaft 14. In this manner, the indicator shaft 14 guidesthe light which has entered this end face 14 b from the light source 6and directs the light to exit from the end face 14 a at the distal endof the indicator shaft 14.

The case 7 includes a reflection face which is a tapered face, i.e. asurface of the tapered portion 7 a, so that the light emitted from thelight source 6 is reflected toward the dial plate 2. In this manner, therespective indexes provided on the surface 2 a of the dial plate 2 emitlight. The back cover 8 is attached to the case 7 so as to cover theback of the circuit board 5. The front glass 9 is arranged to cover thedial plate 2 and the indicator 3 and such and attached to the case 7 viaan end member 10 using a fixation means not shown such as a latch claw.The back cover 8 and the front glass 9 prevent dust and such fromentering inside of the vehicle display device 1.

Next, an example of operation (action) of the indicator (light-emittingindicator) 3 according to the present invention having theabove-described structure is explained with reference to FIGS. 4A and4B. In each drawing, arrows shown in the indicator main body 31illustrate a traveling direction of the light guided to the indicatormain body 31.

In this embodiment, the hollow reflection part 60 provided at theindicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 includes the firstpartial reflection part 61, the second partial reflection part 62 andthe third partial reflection part 63 which are formed into a substantialtriangular shape, respectively, and which are arranged in parallel inorder of the first partial reflection part 61, the second partialreflection part 62 and the third partial reflection part 63 in thewidthwise direction of the indicator part 50. For the transmission face613 of the first partial reflection part 61, a section of thetransmission face 613 located right above the corner 61 a has thehighest brightness. This is the same for the second partial reflectionpart 62 and the third partial reflection part 63.

For these multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63, the corner 61 aof the first partial reflection part 61 and the corner 63 a of the thirdpartial reflection part 63 are located toward the rear end direction S2with respect to the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 4, and, thecorner 62 a of the second partial reflection part 62 is displaced towardthe pointing direction S1 relatively with respect to the corner 61 a ofthe first partial reflection part 61 and the corner 63 a of the thirdpartial reflection part 63. Thus, the sections of the respectivetransmission faces 613, 623, 633 at which the brightness becomes highestare spread in the pointing direction S1 and the rear end direction S2.Thus, such arrangement avoids all of the corners 61 a, 62 a, 63 a to belocated distant from ends of the respective transmission faces 613, 623,633 in the pointing direction S1, and, among the light entering therespective transmission faces 613, 623, 633, the light with the highbrightness and the light with the low brightness are arranged adjacentto each other, thereby ensuring the brightness of the light L3 enteringaround the ends in the pointing direction S1 and the ends in the rearend direction of the respective transmission faces 613, 623, 633, asillustrated in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4B shows the brightness distribution of the light L3 which entersthe respective transmission faces 613, 623, 633 seen from the widthwisedirection of the above-described indicator part 50. Solid line indicatesthe brightness distribution of this embodiment, and dotted lineindicates the brightness distribution obtained from the conventionalhollow reflection part. As shown in FIG. 4B, in this embodiment, thebrightness distribution is shifted entirely toward the pointingdirection S1 compared to the conventional hollow reflection part, andthus the brightness of the light L3 entering the ends of the respectivetransmission faces in the pointing direction S1 is increased, therebypreventing the dark area D from being formed at the region R describedabove.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the respective corners61 a, 62 a, 63 a being arranged in a displaced fashion, longitudinalcenters of the respective transmission faces 613, 623, 633 are locatedon the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14, and the corner 62 a ofpartial reflection portion 62 having the substantial isoscelestriangular shape located at the widthwise center of the indicator part50 is located on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. Thus, thebrightness in the above-described region R varies generallysymmetrically about the shaft center P from a longitudinal center toboth ends of the region R.

As described above, in the present invention, the hollow reflection part60 provided at the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31includes the multiple partial reflection parts 61, 62, 63 having atleast the pointing direction reflection face, the rear end directionreflection face and the corner formed at an intersection of the pointingdirection reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face andis arranged at a location opposed to the base part. Also, the corners 61a, 62 a, 63 a of the partial reflection parts located adjacent to eachother are arranged so as to be displaced in the pointing direction S1 orin the rear end direction S2. Thus, the corners 61 a, 62 a, 63 a, whichprovide high brightness of the light transmitted through the pointingdirection reflection face or the rear end direction reflection face, arenot concentrated in one place but are spread in the pointing directionS1 or the rear end direction S2. That is, if the corners 61 a, 63 a ofsome partial reflection part 61, 63 are located toward the rear enddirection S2 in order to reflect more light toward the pointingdirection S1, then the corner 62 a of the other partial reflection part62 is located so as to be displaced toward the pointing direction S1.Thus, the corner 62 a is located near the end in the pointing directionS1 of the region R above the hollow reflection part 60, and the corners61 a, 63 a are located near the end in the rear end direction S2 of theregion R above the hollow reflection part 60, thereby ensuring thebrightness at near the both ends of the region R and preventing the darkarea from being formed at a location above the hollow reflection part 60inexpensively without providing the light diffusing member or the like.

Furthermore, since the hollow reflection part 60 is formed symmetricallyabout the widthwise center of the indicator part 50, the non-uniformityin the brightness in the widthwise direction can be prevented.

In this embodiment, the terms for indicating directions such as up,down, left, right, front and rear are used for purpose of explaining thearrangement of operation of the respective components of the vehicledisplay device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3 and the indicator mainbody 31, and thus are used in a relative manner not in an absolutemanner. These terms are suitable when the vehicle display device 1, thelight-emitting indicator 3, the indicator main body 31 and componentsthereof are in the shown position. However, when their positions arechanged, then these terms should be interpreted differently inaccordance with the change in the position.

Furthermore, the shape of the partial reflection part 61, 62, 63 (e.g.the size and thickness of the pointing direction reflection face, therear end direction reflection face and the transmission face as well asthe position of the corner) is not limited to the above-describedconfiguration and may be in any shape without departing from the objectof the present invention and as long as the partial reflection partincludes at least the pointing direction reflection face, the rear enddirection reflection face and the corner formed at an intersection ofthe pointing direction reflection face and the rear end directionreflection face. For example, the partial reflection part may have afan-like shape formed by a flat-shaped pointing direction reflectionface, a flat-shaped rear end direction reflection face and a curvedtransmission face which is curved so as to swell toward an upper face ofthe indicator part. Alternatively, in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the partialreflection part may be formed such that a portion of the indicator part50 located above the hollow reflection part 60 is removed and thepointing direction reflection face and the rear end direction reflectionface of each partial reflection part extend upward and continue to theupper face of the indicator part 50 (that is, the transmission face isomitted so the reflection part is formed by the pointing directionreflection face and the rear end direction reflection face and formedinto a V-shaped reflection part which opens upward). Moreover, in thisembodiment, the pointing direction reflection face, the rear enddirection reflection face and the transmission face are formed into asubstantially flat surface; however, the present invention is notlimited to this, and these respective faces may be formed in a flatsurface, a curved surface or a non-spherical surface or a surface formedby the combination these surfaces, or formed by a plurality of faces, orformed in any other shape without departing from the object of thepresent invention.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base part 40 is constituted of thebase part main body 41 attached to the indicator shaft 14 and the lightreceiving part 42 which receives the light from the light source 6guided by the indicator shaft 14; however, the present invention is notlimited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower cover 38 maybe provided with a circular cylindrical shaft receiving part 38 fattached to the indicator shaft 14 instead of the base part main body41, so that the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 isconstituted of the light receiving part 42 alone. As such, the base partof the indicator main body (indicator member) may have any structure aslong as the base part includes at least the light receiving part whichreceives the light from the light source.

Moreover, although this embodiment is described in relation to thevehicle display device as the speed meter, the present invention is notlimited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to anindicator device other than the speed meter such as an engine revolutioncounter and a fuel level meter, or alternatively, the present inventionmay be applied for example to an industrial indicator device other thanthe vehicle display device such as an indicator used for measurement ofgas pressure or temperature in a factory. As such, the present inventionmay be used in any application and any device without departing from theobject of the present invention.

The embodiment described above is only representative embodiment of thepresent invention, and the present invention is not limited to theembodiment. That is, the present invention can be modified in variousways and implemented without departing from the gist of the presentinvention.

(2.8)

In the following, a vehicle display device as one embodiment of anindicator instrument according to the present invention is explained inreference to FIGS. 9 through 14.

In FIG. 9, a vehicle display device 1 is a speed meter which displays avehicle speed, for example. The vehicle display device 1 includes a dialplate 2 having a surface 2 a (i.e. a surface which is visible by aviewer) provided with indexes such as scale marks and numbers, lettersor symbols, a light-emitting indicator (hereinafter called an indicator)3 as an indicator unit positioned on the surface 2 a of the dial plate2, a drive device 4 having an indicator shaft 14 including a distal endat which the indicator 3 is attached, a circuit board 5 including acircuit pattern, an electronic component and such and including thedrive device 4 fixed at the circuit board 5, a plurality of lightsources 6 provided at the circuit board 5, a case 7 having a taperedportion 7 a formed from a central portion of the circuit board 5 towardan edge of the dial plate 2, a back cover 8 covering a back side of thecircuit board 5, and a front glass 9.

The dial plate 2 is a member formed into a substantially circular plateshape made of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin such aspolycarbonate, for example. The surface 2 a of the dial plate 2 includesa light-blocking region not shown at which light-blocking ink isprinted, and an index not shown as a translucent design formed byremoving (or not printing) the light-blocking ink along a shape of aletter, a scale and such. Each index becomes luminous and visible bybeing irradiated from a back side of the dial plate 2 by thelater-described light source 6.

The indicator 3 is arranged adjacent to the surface 2 a of the dialplate 2 and is arranged to point to the respective indexes provided atthe dial plate 2, thereby displaying a measured value in cooperationwith the respective indexes. As shown in FIG. 2, the indicator 3includes an indicator main body 31 as an indicator member, a covermember 32 made of translucent synthetic resin and covering the indicatormain body 31, and a balance member 39 arranged inside of the covermember 32 to adjust the balance of the indicator 3.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the indicator main body 31 includes abase part 40 and an indicator part 50 which are integrally formed usingtranslucent synthetic resin as translucent material such aspolycarbonate resin and acrylic resin.

The base part 40 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 41and a light receiving part 42 arranged at an inner side of the base partmain body 41 and arranged adjacent to an upper end 41 a. The base partmain body 41 is fixed to an indicator shaft 14 in a coaxial fashion byinserting and fitting the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 into alower end 41 b. Thus, a center of the base part main body 41 coincideswith a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. The light receivingpart 42 is formed into a flat surface having a circular shape identicalto the inner side of the base part main body 41 so that when theindicator shaft 14 is fitted to the base part main body 41, the lightreceiving part 42 is arranged to face to an end face 14 a of the distalend of the indicator shaft 14 with an interval. Of course, the shape ofthe light receiving part 42 is not limited to the flat surface and maybe a curved surface, a shape formed by combining several faces, or anyother shape which can receive the light from the light source. Inaddition, the light receiving part 42 may be arranged in close contactwith the end face 14 a of the indicator shaft 14.

The indicator part 50 is formed continuous with an upper end 41 a of thebase part main body 41 (i.e. one end of the base part 40). The indicatorpart 50 includes a pointing part 51 extending from the upper end 41 a toone direction (i.e. a pointing direction S1) which is perpendicular (orsubstantially perpendicular) to the shaft center P, and a rearward part52 extending to the other direction (i.e. a rear end direction S2) whichis opposite of said one direction and extending shorter than thepointing part 51, with a boundary at the shaft center P of the indicatorshaft 14. In other words, the indicator part 50 extends from the upperend 41 a of the base part main body 41 to each of the pointing directionS1 and the rear end direction S2. The pointing direction S1 and the rearend direction S2 match with (or substantially match with) a radialdirection of the indicator shaft 14. The pointing direction S1 and therear end direction S2 correspond to a longitudinal direction of theindicator part 50. Furthermore, the indicator part 50 is provided with ahollow reflection part 60 as a reflection part.

A bottom face 54, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 facing thebase part 40, is provided with a reflection layer 54 a which isoverlapped to the bottom face 54 and colored in white or silver, forexample, using a hot stamping or the like so as to reflect the lightentering the bottom face 54 from inside of the indicator part 50. Anupper face 53, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 at oppositeside of the bottom face 54, is provided with a diffusion layer 53 awhich is overlapped to the upper face 53 and colored in red, forexample, using a hot stamping or the like so as to diffuse the lightexiting from the upper face 53. Alternatively, the reflection layer 54 aand the diffusion layer 53 a may be formed at the bottom face 54 and theupper face 53 by forming embossment or fine prism structure.Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reflection layer 54 a is providedonly at the bottom face 54 and arranged adjacent to the pointing part51; however, a similar reflection layer 54 a may be provided also at thebottom face 54 and arranged adjacent to the rearward part 52. In thefollowing description, the term “bottom face 54” indicates the surfaceof the indicator part 50 adjacent to the base part 40 including thereflection layer 54 a, and the term “upper face 53” indicates thesurface of the indicator part 50 at the opposite side of the bottom face54 including the diffusion layer 53 a. Also, the bottom face 54 and thereflection layer 54 a, as well as the upper face 53 and the diffusionlayer 53 a are described distinctively only when necessary. In addition,only one of the reflection layer 54 a and the diffusion layer 53 a maybe provided.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the hollow reflection part 60 is arrangedin the indicator part 50 and arranged adjacent to the upper end 41 a ofthe base part main body 41 and is arranged at a location opposed to thelight receiving part 42 of the base part 40. The hollow reflection part60 includes a pointing direction reflection face 61, a rear enddirection reflection face 62 and a transmission face 63 and is formedinto a substantially fan-like shape penetrating through the indicatorpart 50 in the widthwise direction (i.e. a front-back directionperpendicular to a plane of paper in FIG. 11B).

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the pointing direction reflection face 61is formed into a substantially flat surface. The pointing directionreflection face 61 is arranged such that one end thereof at a lower sidein the drawing is located adjacent to the base part 40 and is slanted soas to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of theshaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction inFIG. 11B) as the pointing direction reflection face 61 extends from saidone end to the pointing direction S1 (i.e. a left direction in FIG.11B). Thus, the pointing direction reflection face 61 reflects a part L1of light L received at the light receiving part 42 to the pointingdirection S1, and transmits other part L3 of this light L toward thetransmission face 63.

The rear end direction reflection face 62 is formed into a substantiallyflat surface. The rear end direction reflection face 62 has one endconnected to the one end of the pointing direction reflection face 61and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in adirection of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upperdirection in FIG. 11B) as the rear end direction reflection face 62extends from said one end to the rear end direction S2 (i.e. a rightdirection in FIG. 11B). That is, the rear end direction reflection face62 is connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61 in anintersecting fashion. Thus, the rear end direction reflection face 62reflects a part L2 of the light L received at the light receiving part42 to the rear end direction S2, and transmits other part L3 of thislight L toward the transmission face 63. Furthermore, a corner 60 a,which is formed at an intersection of the pointing direction reflectionface 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62, is located on theshaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 and arranged toward the lightreceiving part 42 of the base part 40. Or course, the position of thecorner 60 a is not limited on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft14 and may be displaced from the shaft center P toward the pointingdirection S1 or the rear end direction S2.

The transmission face 63 is arranged to face the upper face 53 of theindicator part 50 and is formed into a curved surface so that across-section of the transmission face 63 along the longitudinaldirection of the indicator part 50 (i.e. the pointing direction S1) isformed into a smooth curved line which is convex in a direction awayfrom the corner 60 a. That is, the transmission face 63 is formed into aconcave lens shape. The transmission face 63 has one end connected tothe upper other end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 so asto intersect to the pointing direction reflection face 61 and has theother end connected to the upper other end of the rear end directionreflection face 62 so as to intersect with the rear end directionreflection face 62. In other words, the transmission face 63 is formedinto a convexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face 53of the indicator part 50 from the one end of the transmission face 63connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61 to the other endof the transmission face 63 connected to the rear end directionreflection face 62. A longitudinal center of the indicator part 50 ofthe transmission face 63 is positioned on the shaft center P of theindicator shaft 14. Of course, the shape of the transmission face 63 isnot limited to the concave lens shape, and the arrangement of thetransmission face 63 is not limited to the above-described arrangement.

The indicator main body 31 reflects and transmits the light received atthe light receiving part 42 of the base part 40 by the hollow reflectionpart 60 and guides the light in the indicator part 50 to exit from theupper face 53 of the indicator part 50. By doing so, the upper face 53of the indicator part 50 emits light, and thus the upper face 53 becomesluminous and visible through a slit 71 of the cover member 32.

As shown in FIG. 10, the cover member 32 includes an upper cover 33 anda lower cover 38 which are divided in an up-down direction.

The upper cover 33 includes a first cover portion 34 formed into asubstantially rectangular tube shape which gets gradually thinner from arear end 34 b toward a distal end 34 a in accordance with the outershape of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31, and asecond cover portion 35 formed into a circular dish covering around thebase part 40 of the indicator main body 31. The first cover portion 34and the second cover portion 35 are arranged to open downward in thedrawing, and the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 ishoused inside from this opening.

An upper wall portion 34 c of the first cover portion 34 is providedwith the slit 71 extending from the rear end 34 b to the distal end 34a. When the indicator main body 31 and the cover member 32 are attachedtogether, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicatormain body 31 is exposed from this slit 71 in a straight line fashionthroughout in the longitudinal direction of the upper face 53. In otherwords, the slit 71 is formed along the longitudinal direction of theindicator part 50. The length and the width of the slit 71 may bedesigned arbitrarily in accordance with the design of the indicator 3,for example. Furthermore, a translucent coloring member or a lightdiffusing member may be provided in the slit 71, for example, as long asthe slit 71 is arranged to pass the light exited from the upper face ofthe indicator part 50 therethrough. Furthermore, an inner face of thesecond cover portion 35 is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown)which is formed to protrude downward in the drawing and arranged to fitto a pair of fitting holes 38 d of the lower cover 38.

The lower cover 38 includes an annular plate-shaped first cover section38 a formed in accordance with the shape of the opening of the secondcover portion 35 of the upper cover 33, a strip-shaped second coversection 38 b radially extending from the first cover section 38 a andformed in accordance with the shape of the opening at the distal endside portion of the first cover portion 34 of the upper cover 33 whichhouses the pointing part 51 of the indicator part 50, a penetrating part38 c provided at the first cover section 38 a and arranged to pass thebase part 40 of the indicator main body 31 therethrough, the pair offitting holes 38 d arranged at the first cover section 38 a inaccordance with the pair of bosses of the upper cover 33, and anattachment boss 38 e at which the balance member 39 is attached. Whenattached to the upper cover 33, the lower cover 38 covers the openingsof the first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 to form aspace for housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31with the upper cover 33. By housing the indicator part 50 of theindicator main body 31 in this housing space, the light exited from thesurface of the bottom face 54 and such of the indicator part 50 isprevented from irradiating the dial plate 2 and such.

The balance member 39 is formed to have weight which is set in view ofthe indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31. The balance member39 includes a fitting hole 39 a arranged to fit to the attachment boss38 e provided at the lower cover 38 of the cover member 32. The balancemember 39 is positioned by the attachment boss 38 e and housed in thecover member 32.

The indicator 3 having the above-described structure may be assembled asexplained below. Firstly, the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31is passed through the penetrating part 38 c of the lower cover 38 toinstall the indicator main body 31 to the lower cover 38 and install thebalance member 39 to the lower cover 38. Then, the upper cover 33 ismoved closer to the indicator main body 31 from the side of the upperface 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 so as tocover the indicator main body 31, and the pair of boss provided in thesecond cover of the upper cover 33 is fitted into the pair of fittingholes 38 d of the lower cover 38, by which the upper cover 33 and thelower cover 38 are fixed to each other so that the indicator main body31 is housed in the cover member 32, and the assembling is completed.

The drive device 4 is a known stepping motor. The drive device 4includes the indicator shaft 14 formed into a substantially circularcylindrical shape and made of translucent synthetic resin such aspolycarbonate resin and a main body portion 15 arranged to rotatablysupport the indicator shaft 14 and rotate the indicator shaft 14 on theprinciple of the stepping motor in accordance with measured quantity ofspeed obtained by a speed sensor not shown. A bottom face 15 a of themain body portion 15 placed over the later-described circuit board 5 isprovided with a recessed portion 15 b, and an end face 14 b of theindicator shaft 14 at the lower side in the drawing is exposed in thisrecessed portion 15 b. The base part 40 of the indicator main body 31described above is attached to the distal end of the indicator shaft 14at the upper side in the drawing. The indicator shaft 14 is arranged torotate the indicator main body 31 and function as the light guide memberto guide the light to the base part 40.

The circuit board 5 is a known printed board provided for example withelectronic components and a wiring pattern which electrically connectsthese electronic components and such. A surface of the circuit board 5facing the dial plate 2 is mounted with the drive device 4 and theplurality of light sources 6.

The plurality of light sources 6 includes a LED, a bulb and such and iscontrolled to light up and out by a control unit not shown provided atthe circuit board 5. The plurality of light sources 6 emits light toilluminate the indexes of the dial plate 2 and the indicator main body31 of the indicator 3 and such. Furthermore, one of the plurality oflight sources 6 is arranged in the recessed portion 15 b of the mainbody portion 15 of the drive device 4 so as to face the end face 14 b ofthe indicator shaft 14. In this manner, the indicator shaft 14 guidesthe light which has entered this end face 14 b from the light source 6and directs the light to exit from the end face 14 a at the distal endof the indicator shaft 14.

The case 7 includes a reflection face which is a tapered face, i.e. asurface of the tapered portion 7 a, so that the light emitted from thelight source 6 is reflected toward the dial plate 2. In this manner, therespective indexes provided on the surface 2 a of the dial plate 2 emitlight. The back cover 8 is attached to the case 7 so as to cover theback of the circuit board 5. The front glass 9 is arranged to cover thedial plate 2 and the indicator 3 and such and attached to the case 7 viaan end member 10 using a fixation means not shown such as a latch claw.The back cover 8 and the front glass 9 prevent dust and such fromentering inside of the vehicle display device 1.

Next, an example of operation (action) of the indicator (light-emittingindicator) 3 according to the present invention having theabove-described structure is explained with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14.In each drawing, arrows shown in the indicator main body 31 illustrate atraveling direction of the light guided to the indicator main body 31.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, in this embodiment, the hollow reflectionpart 60 provided at the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31is formed into a substantially fan-like shape formed by the pointingdirection reflection face 61, the rear end direction 62 reflection face62 and the transmission face 63.

The pointing direction reflection face 61 reflects a part L1 of light Lreceived at the light receiving part 42 to the pointing direction S1(i.e. the left direction in FIG. 13), and transmits other part L3 ofthis light L toward the transmission face 63. The rear end directionreflection face 62 reflects a part L2 of light L received at the lightreceiving part 42 to the rear end direction S2 (i.e. the right directionin FIG. 13), and transmits other part L3 of this light L toward thetransmission face 63. The light L1 travels in the pointing part 51toward the pointing direction S1 and exits from the section R1 of theupper face 53 located adjacent to the pointing part 51. The light L2travels in the rearward part 52 toward the rear end direction S2 andexits from the section R2 of the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50located adjacent to the rearward part 52. The light L3 enters thetransmission face 63 and then exits from the section R3 of the upperface 53 above the hollow reflection part 60. In this manner, the entireupper face 53 of the indicator part 50 becomes luminous.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, in the vicinity of the hollow reflection part60, a part L1′ and a part L2′ of the light L travel directly from thelight receiving part 42 to the upper face 53, or are firstly reflectedon the pointing direction reflection face 61 or the rear end directionreflection face 62 and travel in the indicator part 50 toward the upperface 53. Furthermore, a light component L3′ adjacent to the pointingdirection reflection face 61 and a light component L3″ adjacent to therear end direction reflection face 62 included in the light L3 travelthrough the hollow reflection part 60 and enter the transmission face 63and then travel in the indicator part 50 toward the upper face 53.

Furthermore, as described above, the transmission face 63 is formed intothe convexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face 53 ofthe indicator part 50 from the one end of the transmission face 63connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61 to the other endof the transmission face 63 connected to the rear end directionreflection face 62. Thus, the incidence angle of the light componentL3′, L3″ with respect to the transmission face 63 is adjusted, such thatthe light component L3′, L3″ is refracted so that the spread angle ofthe light L3 including the light components L3′, L3″ which has enteredthe transmission face 63 is increased compared to said spread angle inthe case of the transmission face 63 formed into a flat surface.Therefore, the spread angle of the light L3 can be adjusted in asuitable fashion by adjusting the shape of the transmission face 63. Inaddition, light components other than the light components L3′, L3″included in the light L3 refract in a similar fashion. FIG. 14exemplarily shows the light component L3′, L3″ entering the transmissionface 63 in an orthogonal fashion (i.e. the incidence angle is 0 degree);however the present invention is not limited to this, and as long as theincidence angle of each light component of the light L3 is smaller thanin the case of the transmission face 63 formed in a flat surface, thesame effect as described above is obtained.

FIG. 15A shows the spread angle α 1 for the transmission face 63 formedinto a flat surface. FIGS. 15B to 15D shows the spread angles α 2 to α 4for the respective transmission faces 63 formed into convexly curvedsurfaces having degrees of swelling (i.e. curvatures) increasing inorder. In the drawing, a dashed-dotted line indicates a normal line H ata point on the transmission face 63 at which the light component L3′,L3″ has entered. In FIG. 15B, the normal lines H are slated inwardcompared to the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear enddirection reflection face 62. In FIG. 15C, the normal lines H areparallel to the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear enddirection reflection face 62, respectively. In FIG. 15D, the normallines H are slated outward compared to the pointing direction reflectionface 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62. In FIGS. 15B to15D, dotted lines which indicate the flat-shaped transmission face 63and the light components L3′, L3″ of FIG. 15A are shown for comparison.In FIGS. 15A to 15D, the respective spread angles have a relationship ofα 1<α 2<α 3<α 4.

Therefore, the optimization of the spread angle of the light L3 byadjusting the shape of the transmission face 63 can prevent the decreasein the amount of light which exits from the section (i.e. the sectionbetween the section R1 and the section R3) located at the extension ofthe pointing direction reflection face 61 at the upper surface 53 of theindicator part 50. Furthermore, similarly, the decrease in the amount oflight which exits from the section (i.e. the section between the sectionR2 and the section R3) located at the extension of the rear enddirection reflection face 62 at the upper surface 53 of the indicatorpart 50 can be prevented as well. In FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, there arespaces between the section R1 and the section R3 and between the sectionR2 and the section R3 for the sake of explanation; however, these spacesdo not exist in a practical sense, and the dark area is not formed atthe upper face 53 of the indicator part 50.

As described above, according to the present invention, the hollowreflection part 60 provided at the indicator part 50 of the indicatormain body 31 includes the pointing direction reflection face 61, therear end direction reflection face 62 and the transmission face 63, andthis transmission face 63 is formed into the convexly curved surfacewhich is convex toward the upper face of the indicator part 50 from theone end of the transmission face 63 connected to the pointing directionreflection face 61 to the other end of the transmission face 63connected to the rear end direction reflection face 62. Thus, theincidence angle of the light L3 with respect to the transmission face 63which had transmitted through each of the pointing direction reflectionface 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62 is adjusted, suchthat the light L3 is refracted so that the spread angle of the light L3which has entered the transmission face 63 is increased compared to thespread angle in the case of the transmission face 63 formed into theflat surface. Therefore, the optimization of the spread angle of thelight L3 by adjusting the shape of the transmission face 63 can preventthe dark area from being formed around the section located at theextensions of the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear enddirection reflection face 61 at the upper surface 53 of the indicatorpart 50. Thus, the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face 53of the indicator part 50 can be prevented at low cost without providingthe light diffusing member or the like.

Furthermore, since the cross-section of the transmission face 63 alongthe pointing direction S1 is formed into the smooth curved line which isconvex toward the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50, thetransmission face 63 is formed into the concave lens-like shape, therebyallowing the entered light to spread uniformly in the longitudinaldirection of the indicator part 50. Thus, the non-uniformity in thebrightness at the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 can beprevented even more.

In this embodiment, the terms for indicating directions such as up,down, left, right, front and rear are used for purpose of explaining thearrangement of operation of the respective components of the vehicledisplay device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3 and the indicator mainbody 31, and thus are used in a relative manner not in an absolutemanner. These terms are suitable when the vehicle display device 1, thelight-emitting indicator 3, the indicator main body 31 and componentsthereof are in the shown position. However, when their positions arechanged, then these terms should be interpreted differently inaccordance with the change in the position.

Furthermore, the shape of the hollow reflection part 60 is not limitedto the fan-like shape as described above and may be in any shape withoutdeparting from the object of the present invention and as long as it isformed in a hollow shape in the indicator part. Also, the shapes of thepointing direction reflection face 61, the rear end direction reflectionface 62 and the transmission face 63 are not limited to theabove-described configuration. Especially, the transmission face 63 maybe in any shape without departing from the object of the presentinvention and as long as the transmission face 63 is formed into thecurved surface which is convex toward the upper face 53 of the indicatorpart 50 from the one end of the transmission face 63 connected to thepointing direction reflection face 61 to the other end of thetransmission face 63 connected to the rear end direction reflection face62. Herein, the term “convexly curved surface” includes a smoothlycurved surface, as well as the combination of a flat surface, a curvedsurface and a non-spherical surface formed into a substantially curvedsurface. Furthermore, the pointing direction reflection face 61 and therear end direction reflection face 62 are formed into a substantiallyflat surface; however, the present invention is not limited to this, andthese respective faces may be formed in a flat surface, a curved surfaceor a non-spherical surface or a surface formed by the combination thesesurfaces, or formed by a plurality of faces, or formed in any othershape without departing from the object of the present invention.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base part 40 is constituted of thebase part main body 41 attached to the indicator shaft 14 and the lightreceiving part 42 which receives the light from the light source 6guided by the indicator shaft 14; however, the present invention is notlimited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the lower cover 38may be provided with a circular cylindrical shaft receiving part 38 fattached to the indicator shaft 14 instead of the base part main body41, so that the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 isconstituted of the light receiving part 42 alone. As such, the base partof the indicator main body (indicator member) may have any structure aslong as the base part includes at least the light receiving part whichreceives the light from the light source.

Moreover, although this embodiment is described in relation to thevehicle display device as the speed meter, the present invention is notlimited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to anindicator device other than the speed meter such as an engine revolutioncounter and a fuel level meter, or alternatively, the present inventionmay be applied for example to an industrial indicator device other thanthe vehicle display device such as an indicator used for measurement ofgas pressure or temperature in a factory. As such, the present inventionmay be used in any application and any device without departing from theobject of the present invention.

The embodiment described above is only representative embodiment of thepresent invention, and the present invention is not limited to theembodiment. That is, the present invention can be modified in variousways and implemented without departing from the gist of the presentinvention.

(3.8)

In the following, a vehicle display device as one embodiment of anindicator instrument according to the present invention is explained inreference to FIGS. 21 through 26.

In FIG. 21, a vehicle display device 1 is a speed meter which displays avehicle speed, for example. The vehicle display device 1 includes a dialplate 2 having a surface 2 a (i.e. a surface which is visible by aviewer) provided with indexes such as scale marks and numbers, lettersor symbols, a light-emitting indicator (hereinafter called an indicator)3 as an indicator unit positioned on the surface 2 a of the dial plate2, a drive device 4 having an indicator shaft 14 including a distal endat which the indicator 3 is attached, a circuit board 5 including acircuit pattern, an electronic component and such and including thedrive device 4 fixed at the circuit board 5, a plurality of lightsources 6 provided at the circuit board 5, a case 7 having a taperedportion 7 a formed from a central portion of the circuit board 5 towardan edge of the dial plate 2, a back cover 8 covering a back side of thecircuit board 5, and a front glass 9.

The dial plate 2 is a member formed into a substantially circular plateshape made of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin such aspolycarbonate, for example. The surface 2 a of the dial plate 2 includesa light-blocking region at which light-blocking ink is printed, and anindex as a translucent design formed by removing (or not printing) thelight-blocking ink along a shape of a letter and a scale and such. Eachindex becomes luminous and visible by being irradiated from a back sideof the dial plate 2 by the later-described light source 6.

The indicator 3 is arranged adjacent to the surface 2 a of the dialplate 2 and is arranged to point to the respective indexes provided atthe dial plate 2, thereby displaying a measured value in cooperationwith the respective indexes. As shown in FIG. 22, the indicator 3includes an indicator main body 31 as an indicator member, a covermember 32 made of translucent synthetic resin and covering the indicatormain body 31, and a balance member 39 arranged inside of the covermember 32 to adjust the balance of the indicator 3.

As shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the indicator main body 31 includes abase part 40 and an indicator part 50 which are integrally formed usingtranslucent synthetic resin as translucent material such aspolycarbonate resin and acrylic resin.

The base part 40 includes a circular cylindrical base part main body 41and a light receiving part 42 arranged at an inner side of the base partmain body 41 and arranged adjacent to an upper end 41 a. The base partmain body 41 is fixed to an indicator shaft 14 in a coaxial fashion byinserting and fitting the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 into alower end 41 b. Thus, a center of the base part main body 41 coincideswith a shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. The light receivingpart 42 is formed into a flat surface having a circular shape identicalto the inner side of the base part main body 41 so that when theindicator shaft 14 is fitted to the base part main body 41, the lightreceiving part 42 is arranged to face an end face 14 a of the distal endof the indicator shaft 14 with an interval. Of course, the shape of thelight receiving part 42 is not limited to the flat surface and may be acurved surface, a shape formed by combining several faces, or any othershape which can receive the light from the light source. In addition,the light receiving part 42 may be arranged in close contact with theend face 14 a of the indicator shaft 14.

The indicator part 50 is formed continuous with an upper end 41 a of thebase part main body 41 (i.e. one end of the base part 40). The indicatorpart 50 includes a pointing part 51 extending from the upper end 41 a toone direction (i.e. a pointing direction S1) which is perpendicular (orsubstantially perpendicular) to the shaft center P, and a rearward part52 extending to the other direction (i.e. a rear end direction S2) whichis opposite of said one direction and extending shorter than thepointing part 51, with a boundary at the shaft center P of the indicatorshaft 14. In other words, the indicator part 50 extends from the upperend 41 a of the base part main body 41 to each of the pointing directionS1 and the rear end direction S2. The pointing direction S1 and the rearend direction S2 match with (or substantially match with) a radialdirection of the indicator shaft 14. The pointing direction S1 and therear end direction S2 correspond to a longitudinal direction of theindicator part 50. Furthermore, the indicator part 50 is provided with ahollow reflection part 60 as a reflection part.

A bottom face 54, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 facing thebase part 40, is provided with a reflection layer 54 a which isoverlapped to the bottom face 54 and colored in white or silver, forexample, using a hot stamping or the like so as to reflect the lightentering the bottom face 54 from inside of the indicator part 50. Anupper face 53, which is a surface of the indicator part 50 at oppositeside of the bottom face 54, is provided with a diffusion layer 53 awhich is overlapped to the upper face 53 and colored in red, forexample, using a hot stamping or the like so as to diffuse the lightexiting from the upper face 53. Alternatively, the reflection layer 54 aand the diffusion layer 53 a may be formed at the bottom face 54 and theupper face 53 by forming embossment or fine prism structure.Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reflection layer 54 a is providedonly at the bottom face 54 and arranged adjacent to the pointing part51; however, a similar reflection layer 54 a may be provided also at thebottom face 54 and arranged adjacent to the rearward part 52. In thefollowing description, the term “bottom face 54” indicates the surfaceof the indicator part 50 adjacent to the base part 40 including thereflection layer 54 a, and the term “upper face 53” indicates thesurface of the indicator part 50 at the opposite side of the bottom face54 including the diffusion layer 53 a. Also, the bottom face 54 and thereflection layer 54 a, as well as the upper face 53 and the diffusionlayer 53 a are described distinctively only when necessary. In addition,only one of the reflection layer 54 a and the diffusion layer 53 a maybe provided. Furthermore, the upper face 53 for the indicator part 50can be divided into an upper face 531 of the pointing part 51 and anupper face 532 of the rearward part 52 with a boundary at the shaftcenter P of the indicator shaft 14. In addition, the bottom face 54 ofthe indicator part 50 corresponds to a bottom face of the pointing part51.

As shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the hollow reflection part 60 is arrangedin the indicator part 50 and arranged adjacent to the upper end 41 a ofthe base part main body 41 and is arranged at a location opposed to thelight receiving part 42 of the base part 40. The hollow reflection part60 includes a pointing direction reflection face 61, a rear enddirection reflection face 62 and a transmission face 63 and is formedinto a substantially isosceles triangular shape which penetrates throughthe indicator part 50 in the widthwise direction (i.e. a front-backdirection perpendicular to a plane of paper in FIG. 23B).

The pointing direction reflection face 61 is formed into a flat surface.The pointing direction reflection face 61 is arranged such that one endthereof at a lower side in the drawing is located adjacent to the basepart 40 and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e.an upper direction in FIG. 23B) as the pointing direction reflectionface 61 extends from said one end to the pointing direction S1 (i.e. aleft direction in FIG. 23B). Thus, the pointing direction reflectionface 61 reflects a part L1 of light L received at the light receivingpart 42 to the pointing direction S1, and transmits other part L3 ofthis light L toward the transmission face 63.

The rear end direction reflection face 62 is formed into a flat surface.The rear end direction reflection face 62 has one end connected to theone end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 and is slanted soas to gradually extend away from the base part 40 in a direction of theshaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e. an upper direction inFIG. 23B) as the rear end direction reflection face 62 extends from saidone end to the rear end direction S2 (i.e. a right direction in FIG.23B). That is, the rear end direction reflection face 62 is intersectingwith and connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61. Thus,the rear end direction reflection face 62 reflects a part L2 of thelight L received at the light receiving part 42 to the rear enddirection S2, and transmits other part L3 of this light L toward thetransmission face 63. Furthermore, a corner 60 a, which is formed at anintersection of the pointing direction reflection face 61 and the rearend direction reflection face 62, is located on the shaft center P ofthe indicator shaft 14 and arranged toward the light receiving part 42of the base part 40. Or course, the position of the corner 60 a is notlimited on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 and may bedisplaced from the shaft center P toward the pointing direction S1 orthe rear end direction S2.

The transmission face 63 is formed into a flat surface and is arrangedsubstantially parallel to the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 soas to face the upper face 53. The transmission face 63 has one endconnected to the other end of the pointing direction reflection face 61at the upper side in the drawing so as to intersect with the pointingdirection reflection face 61 and has the other end connected to theother end of the rear end direction reflection face 62 at the upper sidein the drawing so as to intersect with the rear end direction reflectionface 62. The transmission face 63 is arranged such that a center of thetransmission face 63 in the longitudinal direction of the indicator part50 is positioned on the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. Ofcourse, the transmission face 63 does not have to be substantiallyparallel to the upper face 53, and also the arrangement of thetransmission face 63 is not limited only to the above-describedarrangement.

There is provided a notch 56 arranged at the bottom face 54 of theindicator part 50 (i.e. a bottom face of the pointing part 51) facingthe base part 40. The notch 56 is formed by cutting out the bottom face54 so that a cross-sectional shape along the longitudinal direction ofthe indicator part 50 of the notch 56 is formed into a wedge-like shapehaving a distal end pointing to an upper face 531 of the pointing part51. Of course, the cross-sectional shape of the notch 56 may be otherthan the wedge-like shape such as a trapezoid and a semi-circular shape.Furthermore, the notch 56 is arranged linearly at the bottom face 54throughout the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50. Also, thenotch 56 is arranged right below a section R of the upper face 531 ofthe pointing part 51 located adjacent to the hollow reflection part 60.The notch 56 includes a first reflection face 56 a arranged toward therear end direction S2 and a second reflection face 56 b arranged towardthe pointing direction S1. Size and angle of the first reflection face56 a are arranged so that the first reflection face 56 a reflects a partof the light L1 reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 61toward the section R. The first reflection face 56 a corresponds to anupward reflection face described in claims.

In this embodiment, the notch 56 is formed by cutting out the bottomface 54 of the indicator part 50 into the wedge-like shape linearlythroughout the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50; however thepresent invention is not limited to this. For example, a wedge-shapednotch 56A having an arc shape which is convex toward the pointingdirection S1 as shown in FIG. 24A, a wedge-shaped notch 56B arranged ata widthwise central portion of the indicator part 50 as shown in FIG.24B, or a pair of wedge-like notches 56C arranged at both widthwise endsof the indicator part 50 as shown in FIG. 24C, or any other shape orposition may be applied as long as the notch 56 has a reflection facewhich reflects the part of the light L1 reflected by the pointingdirection reflection face 61 toward the section R1.

The indicator main body 31 reflects and transmits the light received atthe light receiving part 42 of the base part 40 by the hollow reflectionpart 60 and guides the light in the indicator part 50 to exit from theupper face 53 of the indicator part 50. By doing so, the upper face 53of the indicator part 50 emits light, and thus the upper face 53 becomesluminous and visible through a slit 71 of the cover member 32.

As shown in FIG. 22, the cover member 32 includes an upper cover 33 anda lower cover 38 which are divided in an up-down direction.

The upper cover 33 includes a first cover portion 34 formed into asubstantially rectangular tube shape which gets gradually thinner from arear end 34 b toward a distal end 34 a in accordance with the outershape of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31, and asecond cover portion 35 formed into a circular dish covering around thebase part 40 of the indicator main body 31. The first cover portion 34and the second cover portion 35 are arranged to open downward in thedrawing, and the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 ishoused inside from this opening.

An upper wall portion 34 c of the first cover portion 34 is providedwith the slit 71 extending from the rear end 34 b to the distal end 34a. When the indicator main body 31 and the cover member 32 are attachedtogether, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicatormain body 31 is exposed from this slit 71 in a straight line fashionthroughout in the longitudinal direction of the upper face 53. In otherwords, the slit 71 is formed along the longitudinal direction of theindicator part 50. The length and the width of the slit 71 may bedesigned arbitrarily in accordance with the design of the indicator 3,for example. Furthermore, for example, a translucent coloring member ora light diffusing member may be provided in the slit 71, as long as theslit 71 is arranged to pass the light exited from the upper face of theindicator part 50 therethrough. Furthermore, an inner face of the secondcover portion 35 is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown) which isformed to protrude downward in the drawing and arranged to fit to a pairof fitting holes 38 d of the lower cover 38.

The lower cover 38 includes an annular plate-shaped first cover section38 a formed in accordance with the shape of the opening of the secondcover portion 35 of the upper cover 33, a strip-shaped second coversection 38 b radially extending from the first cover section 38 a andformed in accordance with the shape of the opening at the distal endside portion of the first cover portion 34 of the upper cover 33 whichhouses the pointing part 51 of the indicator part 50, a penetrating part38 c provided at the first cover section 38 a and arranged to pass thebase part 40 of the indicator main body 31 therethrough, the pair offitting holes 38 d arranged at the first cover section 38 a inaccordance with the pair of bosses of the upper cover 33, and anattachment boss 38 e at which the balance member 39 is attached. Whenattached to the upper cover 33, the lower cover 38 covers the openingsof the first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 to form aspace for housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31with the upper cover 33. By housing the indicator part 50 of theindicator main body 31 in this housing space, the light exited from thesurface of the bottom face 54 and such of the indicator part 50 isprevented from irradiating the dial plate 2 and such.

The balance member 39 is formed to have weight which is set in view ofthe indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31. The balance member39 includes a fitting hole 39 a arranged to fit to the attachment boss38 e provided at the lower cover 38 of the cover member 32. The balancemember 39 is positioned by the attachment boss 38 e and housed in thecover member 32.

The indicator 3 having the above-described structure may be assembled asexplained below. Firstly, the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31is passed through the penetrating part 38 c of the lower cover 38 toinstall the indicator main body 31 to the lower cover 38 and install thebalance member 39 to the lower cover 38. Then, the upper cover 33 ismoved closer to the indicator main body 31 from the side of the upperface 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 so as tocover the indicator main body 31, and the pair of boss provided in thesecond cover of the upper cover 33 is fitted into the pair of fittingholes 38 d of the lower cover 38, by which the upper cover 33 and thelower cover 38 are fixed to each other so that the indicator main body31 is housed in the cover member 32, and the assembling is completed.

The drive device 4 is a known stepping motor. The drive device 4includes the indicator shaft 14 formed into a substantially circularcylindrical shape and made of translucent synthetic resin such aspolycarbonate resin and a main body portion 15 arranged to rotatablysupport the indicator shaft 14 and rotate the indicator shaft 14 on theprinciple of the stepping motor in accordance with measured quantity ofspeed obtained by a speed sensor not shown. A bottom face 15 a of themain body portion 15 placed over the later-described circuit board 5 isprovided with a recessed portion 15 b, and an end face 14 b of theindicator shaft 14 at the lower side in the drawing is exposed in thisrecessed portion 15 b. The base part 40 of the indicator main body 31described above is attached to the distal end of the indicator shaft 14at the upper side in the drawing. The indicator shaft 14 is arranged torotate the indicator main body 31 and function as the light guide memberto guide the light to the base part 40.

The circuit board 5 is a known printed board provided for example withelectronic components and a wiring pattern which electrically connectsthese electronic components and such. A surface of the circuit board 5facing the dial plate 2 is mounted with the drive device 4 and theplurality of light sources 6.

The plurality of light sources 6 includes a LED, a bulb and such and iscontrolled to light up and out by a control unit not shown provided atthe circuit board 5. The plurality of light sources 6 emits light toilluminate the indexes of the dial plate 2 and the indicator main body31 of the indicator 3 and such. Furthermore, one of the plurality oflight sources 6 is arranged in the recessed portion 15 b of the mainbody portion 15 of the drive device 4 so as to face the end face 14 b ofthe indicator shaft 14. In this manner, the indicator shaft 14 guidesthe light which has entered this end face 14 b from the light source 6and directs the light to exit from the end face 14 a at the distal endof the indicator shaft 14.

The case 7 includes a reflection face which is a tapered face, i.e. asurface of the tapered portion 7 a, so that the light emitted from thelight source 6 is reflected toward the dial plate 2. In this manner, therespective indexes provided on the surface 2 a of the dial plate 2 emitlight. The back cover 8 is attached to the case 7 so as to cover theback of the circuit board 5. The front glass 9 is arranged to cover thedial plate 2 and the indicator 3 and such and attached to the case 7 viaan end member 10 using a fixation means not shown such as a latch claw.The back cover 8 and the front glass 9 prevent dust and such fromentering inside of the vehicle display device 1.

Next, an example of operation (action) of the indicator (light-emittingindicator) 3 according to the present invention having theabove-described structure is explained with reference to FIG. 25. Ineach drawing, arrows shown in the indicator main body 31 illustrate atraveling direction of the light guided to the indicator main body 31.

In this embodiment, the indicator main body 31 includes the hollowreflection part 60 constituted of the pointing direction reflection face61, the rear end direction 62 reflection face 62 and the transmissionface 63. Furthermore, the indicator main body 31 includes the notch 56formed by cutting out the bottom face 54 of the indicator part 50 intothe wedge-like shape linearly throughout the widthwise direction of theindicator part 50. Since the notch 56 has a notched shape, a section ofthe pointing part 51 toward the pointing direction S1 than the notch 56does not become thin, so there is no effect on the size of the pointingpart 51. Size and angle of the first reflection face 56 a of the notch56 are arranged so that the first reflection face 56 a reflects a partof the light L1 reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 61toward the section R of the upper face 531 of the pointing part 51located adjacent to the hollow reflection part 60.

As shown in FIG. 25, the pointing direction reflection face 61 reflectsa part L1 of light L received at the light receiving part 42 to thepointing direction S1 (i.e. the left direction in FIG. 25), andtransmits other part L3 of this light L toward the transmission face 63.The rear end direction reflection face 62 reflects a part L2 of light Lreceived at the light receiving part 42 to the rear end direction S2(i.e. the right direction in FIG. 25), and transmits other part L3 ofthis light L toward the transmission face 63. The light L1 travels inthe pointing part 51 toward the pointing direction S1 and exits from theupper face 531 of the pointing part 51, and the light L2 travels in therearward part 52 toward the rear end direction S2 and exits from theupper face 532 of the rearward part 52.

When the part of the light L1 enters the first reflection face 56 a ofthe notch 56, it is reflected toward the section R and exits from thesection R. Thus, the amount of light exiting from the section R of theupper face 53 of the indicator part 50 can be increased, therebypreventing the dark area from being formed at the section R.

As described above, according to the present invention, the indicatormain body 31 includes the notch 56 arranged at the bottom face of theindicator part 50 (i.e. the bottom face of the pointing part 51) facingthe base part 40 and having the first reflection face 56 a whichreflects the light reflected by the pointing direction reflection face61 toward the section R of the upper face 531 of the pointing part 51 atopposite side of the bottom face 54, the section R being locatedadjacent to the hollow reflection part 60. Thus, without causing thepointing part 51 to be thin by forming the notch 56 into a notchedshape, the amount of light exiting from the section R can be increasedby the first reflection face 56 a of the notch 56 which reflects thepart of the light L reflected by the pointing direction reflection face61 toward the upper face 531 of the pointing part 51. Thus, theformation of the dark area at the section R can be prevented, therebypreventing the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face 53 ofthe indicator part 50 even more.

In the embodiment described above, there is a space inside of the hollowreflection part 60; however, the present invention is not limited tothis. As shown in FIG. 26, a light diffusing component 70 formed intothe same shape as the hollow reflection part 60 by using synthetic resincontaining a diffusing agent for transmitting and scattering the lightmay be provided inside of the hollow reflection part 60. By doing so,the light L3 transmitted through the pointing direction reflection face61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62 can be scattered,further preventing the non-uniformity in the brightness at the upperface 53 of the indicator part 50.

In this embodiment, the terms for indicating directions such as up,down, left, right, front and rear are used for purpose of explaining thearrangement of operation of the respective components of the vehicledisplay device 1, the light-emitting indicator 3 and the indicator mainbody 31, and thus are used in a relative manner not in an absolutemanner. These terms are suitable when the vehicle display device 1, thelight-emitting indicator 3, the indicator main body 31 and componentsthereof are in the shown position. However, when their positions arechanged, then these terms should be interpreted differently inaccordance with the change in the position.

Furthermore, the shape of the hollow reflection part 60 is not limitedto the above-described configuration. For example, the hollow reflectionpart may be formed into a fan-like shape formed by a flat-shapedpointing direction reflection face, a flat-shaped rear end directionreflection face and a curved transmission face which is curved so as toswell toward an upper face of the indicator part, or may be formed intoa polygonal shape other than a triangle, or any other shape withoutdeparting from the object of the present invention, as long as thehollow reflection part includes the pointing direction reflection face,the rear end reflection face and the transmission face and is formedinto a hollow at the indicator part. Moreover, the shapes of thepointing direction reflection face 61, the rear end direction reflectionface 62 and the transmission face 63 is not limited to theabove-described configuration and the each face may be formed in a flatsurface, a curved surface or a non-spherical surface or a surface formedby the combination these surfaces, or formed by a plurality of faces, orformed in any other shape without departing from the object of thepresent invention.

Similarly, the first reflection face 56 a of the notch 56 may be formedin a flat surface, a curved surface or a non-spherical surface or asurface formed by the combination these surfaces, or formed by aplurality of faces. Also, the number of the notch 56 is not limited toone. For example, a plurality of notches 56 may be provided so that theplurality of notches 56 is arranged in parallel along the pointingdirection S1.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base part 40 is constituted of thebase part main body 41 attached to the indicator shaft 14 and the lightreceiving part 42 which receives the light from the light source 6guided by the indicator shaft 14; however, the present invention is notlimited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower cover 38 maybe provided with a circular cylindrical shaft receiving part 38 fattached to the indicator shaft 14 instead of the base part main body41, so that the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31 isconstituted of the light receiving part 42 alone. As such, the base partof the indicator main body (indicator member) may have any structure aslong as the base part includes at least the light receiving part whichreceives the light from the light source.

Moreover, although this embodiment is described in relation to thevehicle display device as the speed meter, the present invention is notlimited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to anindicator device other than the speed meter such as an engine revolutioncounter and a fuel level meter, or alternatively, the present inventionmay be applied for example to an industrial indicator device other thanthe vehicle display device such as an indicator used for measurement ofgas pressure or temperature in a factory. As such, the present inventionmay be used in any application and any device without departing from theobject of the present invention.

The embodiment described above is only representative embodiment of thepresent invention, and the present invention is not limited to theembodiment. That is, the present invention can be modified in variousways and implemented without departing from the gist of the presentinvention.

(4.8)

In the following, a vehicle display device as one embodiment of anindicator instrument according to the present invention is explained inreference to FIGS. 31 through 40.

In FIG. 31, a vehicle display device 1 is a speed meter which displays avehicle speed, for example. The vehicle display device 1 includes a dialplate 2 having a surface 2 a (i.e. a surface which is visible by aviewer) provided with indexes such as scale marks and numbers, lettersor symbols, a light-emitting indicator (hereinafter called an indicator)3 as an indicator unit positioned on the surface 2 a of the dial plate2, a drive device 4 having an indicator shaft 14 including a distal endat which the indicator 3 is attached, a circuit board 5 including acircuit pattern, an electronic component and such and including thedrive device 4 fixed at the circuit board 5, a plurality of lightsources 6 a, 6 b provided at the circuit board 5, a case 7 having atapered portion 7 a formed from a central portion of the circuit board 5toward an edge of the dial plate 2, a back cover 8 covering a back sideof the circuit board 5, and a front glass 9.

The dial plate 2 is a member formed into a substantially circular plateshape made of transparent or semi-transparent synthetic resin such aspolycarbonate, for example. The surface 2 a of the dial plate 2 includesa light-blocking region at which light-blocking ink is printed, and anindex as a translucent design formed by removing (or not printing) thelight-blocking ink along a shape of a letter and a scale and such. Eachindex becomes luminous and visible by being irradiated from a back sideof the dial plate 2 by the later-described light source 6 b.

The indicator 3 is arranged adjacent to the surface 2 a of the dialplate 2 and is arranged to point to the respective indexes provided atthe dial plate 2, thereby displaying a measured value in cooperationwith the respective indexes. As shown in FIG. 32, the indicator 3includes an indicator main body 31 as an indicator member, a covermember 32 made of translucent synthetic resin and covering the indicatormain body 31, and a balance member 39 arranged inside of the covermember 32 to adjust the balance of the indicator 3.

As shown in FIGS. 31 to 33, the indicator main body 31 includes a basepart 40, an indicator part 50, a hollow reflection part 60 and anreflection part for indicator shaft 70 which are integrally formed usingtranslucent synthetic resin as translucent material such aspolycarbonate resin and acrylic resin. In this embodiment, the base part40 and the indicator part 50 are described as being formed integrally;however, the base part 40 and the indicator part 50 may be formed intoseparate pieces.

The base part 40 includes a shaft receiving part 41 arranged to be fixedat an end of the indicator shaft 14 and a light receiving part 42arranged to receive light guided in the indicator shaft 14 fixed at theshaft receiving part 41. In this embodiment, the base part 40 is formedinto a hollow circular cylindrical shape; however, the present inventionis not limited to this. For example, the outer shape of the base part 40may be formed into a substantially rectangular cylinder.

The shaft receiving part 41 is arranged at the base part 40 and is fixedto the indicator shaft 14 by inserting and fitting the distal end of theindicator shaft 14 into the shaft receiving part 41. Thus, the base part40 fixed to the distal end of the indicator shaft 14 rotates inaccordance with the rotational movement of the indicator shaft 14 and isa rotation center of the indicator main body 31. That is, a center ofthe base part main body 41 coincides with a shaft center P of theindicator shaft 14.

The light receiving part 42 is formed into a flat surface having acircular shape identical to shaft receiving part 41. When the indicatorshaft 14 is fitted to the shaft receiving part 41, the light receivingpart 42 is arranged to face an end face 14 a of the distal end of theindicator shaft 14 with an interval. In this embodiment, by forming aspace 43 inside of the shaft receiving part 41 between the lightreceiving part 42 and the end face 14 a of the indicator shaft 14, thelight exited from the end face 14 a of the indicator shaft 14 isdiffused in the space 43. However, alternatively, the light receivingpart 42 may be in close contact with the end face 14 a of the indicatorshaft 14. In addition, the shape of the light receiving part 42 may bedifferent from the shaft receiving part 41 or may be the shape otherthan flat surface.

The indicator part 50 is formed continuous with one end of the base part40 at which the light receiving part 42 is formed. As shown in FIG. 33,the indicator part 50 according to this embodiment includes a pointingpart 51 extending from the base part 40 to a pointing direction S1 ofthe indicator main body 31, and a rearward part 52 extending from thebase part 40 to a rear end direction S2 opposite of said pointingdirection S1 and extending shorter than the pointing part 51, with aboundary at the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14. In otherwords, an upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 corresponds to an uppersurface of both of the pointing part 51 and the rearward part 52 and isa light-emitting face which is viewed by a driver and such.

The upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 is provided with a diffusionlayer 53 a so as to diffuse light exiting from the upper face 53 tooutside of the indicator main body 31. The diffusion layer 53 a may beformed by using a coloring process such as hot stamping, printing,painting, two-color formation or the like, or by forming embossment orfine prism structure at a surface. Furthermore, a bottom face 54 of theindicator part 50 at opposite side of the upper face 53 is provided witha reflection layer 54 a arranged to reflect light which had entered tothe bottom face 54 from the indicator part 50. The reflection layer 54 ais formed in a similar manner as the diffusion layer 53 a. At least oneof the diffusion layer 53 a and the reflection layer 54 a may be omittedfrom the indicator main body 31.

As shown in FIGS. 31 and 33, the hollow reflection part 60 is arrangedin the indicator part 50 and arranged adjacent to the light receivingpart 42 of the base part 40 and is arranged at a location opposed to thelight receiving part 42. The hollow reflection part 60 includes apointing direction reflection face 61, a rear end direction reflectionface 62 and a transmission face 63 and is formed into a substantiallyinverse triangular shape which penetrates through the indicator part 50in the widthwise direction of the indicator part 50. In addition, theshape of the hollow reflection part 60 is not limited to the inversetriangular shape of this embodiment, and may be other shapes having thepointing direction reflection face 61 and the rear end directionreflection face 62, for example.

The pointing direction reflection face 61 is arranged such that one endthereof at a lower side in the drawing is located adjacent to the basepart 40 and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e.an upper direction in FIG. 33) as the pointing direction reflection face61 extends from said one end to the pointing direction S1 (i.e. a leftdirection in FIG. 33). Thus, the pointing direction reflection face 61reflects a part L1 of light L received at the light receiving part 42 tothe pointing direction S1, and transmits other part L3 of this light Ltoward the transmission face 63.

The rear end direction reflection face 62 has one end connected to theone end of the pointing direction reflection face 61 in an intersectingfashion and is slanted so as to gradually extend away from the base part40 in a direction of the shaft center P of the indicator shaft 14 (i.e.an upper direction in FIG. 33) as the rear end direction reflection face62 extends from said one end to the rear end direction S2 (i.e. a rightdirection in FIG. 33). That is, the rear end direction reflection face62 is connected to the pointing direction reflection face 61 in anintersecting fashion. Thus, the rear end direction reflection face 62reflects a part L2 of the light L received at the light receiving part42 to the rear end direction S2, and transmits other part L3 of thislight L toward the transmission face 63.

The transmission face 63 has one end connected to the other end of thepointing direction reflection face 61 at the upper side in the drawingand the other end connected to the other end of the rear end directionreflection face 62 at the upper side in the drawing. That is, thetransmission face 63 is connected to each of the pointing directionreflection face 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62. Thetransmission face 63 is arranged to face the upper face 53 of theindicator part 50. In this embodiment, the transmission face 63 and theupper face 53 of the indicator part 50 are substantially parallel toeach other. However, alternatively, the transmission face 63 and theupper face 53 of the indicator part 50 may be arranged other than theparallel form. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a center of thetransmission face 63 in the longitudinal direction (i.e. the left-rightdirection in FIG. 33) is positioned on the shaft center P of theindicator shaft 14. However, the center of the transmission face 63 inthe longitudinal direction may be displaced from the shaft center P ofthe indicator shaft 14.

As shown in FIGS. 33, 34, the reflection part for indicator shaft 70includes a first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 arranged at thebase part 40 and arranged adjacent to the pointing direction S1 and asecond reflection part for indicator shaft 72 arranged at the base part40 and arranged adjacent to the rear end direction S2.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the reflection part for indicator shaft70 includes both of the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 andthe second reflection part for indicator shaft 72. However, the presentinvention is not limited to this. For example, in the arrangement inwhich the dark area is formed only at the upper face 53 adjacent to thepointing direction S1 near the hollow reflection part 60, the firstreflection part for indicator shaft 71 alone may be provided at theindicator main body 31, or, alternatively, in the arrangement in whichthe dark area is formed only at the upper face 53 adjacent to the rearend direction S2 near the hollow reflection part 60, the secondreflection part for indicator shaft 72 alone may be provided at theindicator main body 31, or various other arrangements are possible.

The first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 is formed continuousfrom the base part 40 adjacent to the pointing direction S1 to thepointing part 51 so that light L4 traveling from the indicator shaft 14to the outside of the base part 40 is reflected toward the upper face 53of the pointing part 51 adjacent to the pointing direction reflectionface 61. Here, the light L4 traveling from the indicator shaft 14 to theoutside of the base part 40 means the light traveling in a direction ofleaking from the indicator shaft 14 to the outside of the base part 40.

The first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 includes a light guidepart 73 formed continuous from the base part 40 to the pointing part 51and guides the light L4 traveling to the outside of the base part 40from the indicator shaft 14, and an reflection face for indicator shaft74 reflecting the light guided in the light guide part 73 toward theupper face 53 of the pointing part 51 adjacent to the pointing directionreflection face 61.

The light guide part 73 is formed as a slanted part formed from asurface near a central portion of the base part 40 located at the sideof the pointing direction S1 to the bottom face 54 of the pointing part51 adjacent to the base part 40. The reflection face for indicator shaft74 corresponds to a surface of the light guide part 73. In thisembodiment, the reflection face for indicator shaft 74 may be formedinto a flat surface; however, alternatively the reflection face forindicator shaft 74 may be formed into a curved surface, a sphericalsurface and such. Furthermore, by providing a reflection layer at thereflection face for indicator shaft 74, the amount of light reflectedtoward the upper face 53 of the pointing part 51 adjacent to thepointing direction reflection face 61 can be increased. In addition, itis not necessary to direct all of the light reflected by the firstreflection part for indicator shaft 71 toward the dark area, anddepending on the degree of the non-uniformity in the brightness at theupper face of the indicator, the first reflection part for indicatorshaft 71 may be formed such that a part of the light from the reflectionpart for indicator shaft 70 is directed to enter the pointing directionreflection face 61 of the hollow reflection part 60 and be reflectedtoward the direction of the distal end of the pointing part 51.

The second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 is formed continuousfrom the base part 40 to the rearward part 52 so that light L4 travelingfrom the indicator shaft 14 to the outside of the base part 40 isreflected toward the upper face 53 of the rearward part 52 adjacent tothe rear end direction reflection face 62. The second reflection partfor indicator shaft 72 is arranged in a similar manner as the firstreflection part for indicator shaft 71, and includes a light guide part75 and an reflection face for indicator shaft 76.

The light guide part 75 is formed as a slanted part formed from asurface near a central portion of the base part 40 located at the sideof the rearward direction S2 to the bottom face 54 of the rearward part52 adjacent to the base part 40. The reflection face for indicator shaft76 corresponds to a surface of the light guide part 75. In thisembodiment, the reflection face for indicator shaft 76 is formed into aflat surface; however, alternatively the reflection face for indicatorshaft 76 may be formed into a curved surface, a spherical surface andsuch. Furthermore, by providing a reflection layer at the reflectionface for indicator shaft 76, the amount of light reflected toward theupper face 53 of the rearward part 52 adjacent to the rear end directionreflection face 62 can be increased. In addition, it is not necessary todirect all of the light reflected by the second reflection part forindicator shaft 72 toward the dark area, and depending on the degree ofthe non-uniformity in the brightness at the upper face of the indicator,the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 may be formed suchthat a part of the light from the second reflection part for indicatorshaft 72 is directed to enter the rear end direction reflection face 62of the hollow reflection part 60 and be reflected toward the directionof the distal end of the rearward part 52.

The above-described indicator main body 31 reflects and transmits thelight received at the light receiving part 42 of the base part 40 fromthe indicator shaft 14 by the hollow reflection part 60 and guides thelight in the indicator part 50 to exit from the upper face 53 of theindicator part 50. By doing so, the light exited from the upper face 53becomes luminous and visible to a driver and such.

As shown in FIG. 32, the cover member 32 includes an upper cover 33 anda lower cover 38 which are divided in an up-down direction.

The upper cover 33 includes a first cover portion 34 formed into asubstantially rectangular tube shape which gets gradually thinner from arear end 34 b toward a distal end 34 a in accordance with the outershape of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31, and asecond cover portion 35 formed into a circular dish covering around thebase part 40 of the indicator main body 31. The first cover portion 34and the second cover portion 35 are arranged to open downward in thedrawing, and the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 ishoused inside from this opening.

An upper wall portion 34 c of the first cover portion 34 is providedwith the slit 71 extending from the rear end 34 b to the distal end 34a. When the indicator main body 31 and the cover member 32 are attachedtogether, the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicatormain body 31 is exposed from this slit 71 in a straight line fashion. Inother words, the slit 71 is formed along the longitudinal direction ofthe indicator part 50. The length and the width of the slit 71 may bedesigned arbitrarily in accordance with the design of the indicator 3,for example. Furthermore, an inner face of the second cover portion 35is provided with a pair of bosses (not shown) which is formed toprotrude downward in the drawing and arranged to fit to a pair offitting holes 38 d of the lower cover 38.

The lower cover 38 includes an annular plate-shaped first cover section38 a formed in accordance with the shape of the opening of the secondcover portion 35 of the upper cover 33, a strip-shaped second coversection 38 b radially extending from the first cover section 38 a andformed in accordance with the shape of the opening at the distal endside portion of the first cover portion 34 of the upper cover 33 whichhouses the pointing part 51 of the indicator part 50, a penetrating part38 c provided at the first cover section 38 a and arranged to pass thebase part 40 of the indicator main body 31 therethrough, the pair offitting holes 38 d arranged at the first cover section 38 a inaccordance with the pair of bosses of the upper cover 33, and anattachment boss 38 e at which the balance member 39 is attached. Whenattached to the upper cover 33, the lower cover 38 covers the openingsof the first cover portion 34 and the second cover portion 35 to form aspace for housing the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31with the upper cover 33. By housing the indicator part 50 of theindicator main body 31 in this housing space, the light exited from thesurface of the bottom face 54 and such of the indicator part 50 isprevented from irradiating the dial plate 2 and such.

The balance member 39 is formed to have weight which is set in view ofthe indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31. The balance member39 includes a fitting hole 39 a arranged to fit to the attachment boss38 e provided at the lower cover 38 of the cover member 32. The balancemember 39 is positioned by the attachment boss 38 e and housed in thecover member 32.

The indicator 3 having the above-described structure may be assembled asexplained below. Firstly, the base part 40 of the indicator main body 31is passed through the penetrating part 38 c of the lower cover 38 toinstall the indicator main body 31 to the lower cover 38 and install thebalance member 39 to the lower cover 38. Then, the upper cover 33 ismoved closer to the indicator main body 31 from the side of the upperface 53 of the indicator part 50 of the indicator main body 31 so as tocover the indicator main body 31, and the pair of boss provided in thesecond cover of the upper cover 33 is fitted into the pair of fittingholes 38 d of the lower cover 38, by which the upper cover 33 and thelower cover 38 are fixed to each other so that the indicator main body31 is housed in the cover member 32, and the assembling is completed.

The drive device 4 is a known stepping motor. As shown in FIG. 33, thedrive device 4 includes the indicator shaft 14 formed into asubstantially circular cylindrical shape and made of translucentsynthetic resin such as polycarbonate resin and a main body portion 15arranged to rotatably support the indicator shaft 14 and rotate theindicator shaft 14 on the principle of the stepping motor in accordancewith measured quantity of speed obtained by a speed sensor not shown. Abottom face 15 a of the main body portion 15 placed over thelater-described circuit board 5 is provided with a recessed portion 15b, and an end face 14 b of the indicator shaft 14 at the lower side inthe drawing is exposed in this recessed portion 15 b. The base part 40of the indicator main body 31 described above is fixed to the distal endof the indicator shaft 14 at the upper side in the drawing. Theindicator shaft 14 is arranged to rotate the indicator main body 31 andfunction as the light guide member to guide the light to the base part40.

The circuit board 5 is a known printed board provided for example withelectronic components and a wiring pattern which electrically connectsthese electronic components and such. A surface of the circuit board 5facing the dial plate 2 is mounted with the drive device 4 and theplurality of light sources 6.

The plurality of light sources 6 a, 6 b includes a LED and such and iscontrolled to light up and out by a control unit not shown provided atthe circuit board 5. The light source 6 a for illuminating the indicatoremits light which is guided in the indicator shaft 14 of the drivedevice 4. The light source 6 a is arranged in the recessed portion 15 bof the main body portion 15 of the drive device 4 so as to face the endface 14 b of the indicator shaft 14. In this manner, the indicator shaft14 guides the light which has entered to this end face 14 b from thelight source 6 and directs the light to exit from the end face 14 a atthe distal end of the indicator shaft 14. Furthermore, the plurality oflight sources 6 b emits light to illuminate the indexes of the dialplate 2 and the indicator main body 31 of the indicator 3 and such.

The case 7 includes a reflection face which is a tapered face, i.e. asurface of the tapered portion 7 a, so that the light emitted from thelight source 6 b is reflected toward the dial plate 2. In this manner,the respective indexes provided on the surface 2 a of the dial plate 2emit light. The back cover 8 is attached to the case 7 so as to coverthe back of the circuit board 5. The front glass 9 is arranged to coverthe dial plate 2 and the indicator 3 and such and attached to the case 7via an end member 10 using a fixation means not shown such as a latchclaw. The back cover 8 and the front glass 9 prevent dust and such fromentering inside of the vehicle display device 1.

Next, an example of operation of the indicator (light-emittingindicator) 3 according to the present invention having theabove-described structure is explained with reference to FIGS. 33, 34.

When the light source 6 a is lighted up by the vehicle display device 1,the light emitted by the light source 6 a is guided in the indicatorshaft 14, and a part of the light which corresponds to the light L isdirected out to the space 43 inside of the base part 40 of the indicator3. Then, such partial light L is received at the light receiving part 42and guided in the indicator part 50. The light L1 which is guided towardthe pointing direction reflection face 61 of the hollow reflection part60 is reflected by the pointing direction reflection face 61 toward thedistal end of the pointing part 51 and guided in the pointing part 51,thereby allowing a light exit region E11 located at the upper face 53 ofthe indicator part 50 of the pointing part 51 to be luminous in anuniform fashion.

Among the above-described light L which is received in the indicatorpart 50, light L2 which is guided toward the rear end directionreflection face 62 of the hollow reflection part 60 is reflected by therear end direction reflection face 62 toward the rear end of therearward part 52 and guided in the rearward part 52, thereby allowing alight exit region E12 located at the upper face 53 of the indicator part50 of the rearward part 52 to be luminous in an uniform fashion.

Among the above-described light L which is received in the indicatorpart 50, light L3 which has transmitted through the pointing directionreflection face 61 and the rear end direction reflection face 62 of thehollow reflection part 60 transmits through the transmission face 63 ofthe hollow reflection part 60, thereby allowing a light exit region E13located at the upper face 53 of the indicator part 50 facing the hollowreflection part 60 to be luminous in an uniform fashion.

Light L4 which travels from the indicator shaft 14 toward an outside ofthe light receiving part 42 in the pointing direction S1 is guided inthe light guide part 73 of the first reflection part for indicator shaft71 and allows a light exit region E14 at the upper face 53 of thepointing part 51 located adjacent to the pointing direction reflectionface 61 to be luminous by the reflection face for indicator shaft 74. Inother words, the light L4 traveling to the outside of the lightreceiving part 42 is allowed to exit from the light exit region E14located between the light exit regions E11 and E13 at which the lightfrom the light receiving part 42 and the pointing direction reflectionface 61 hardly exit.

Light L5 which travels from the indicator shaft 14 toward an outside ofthe light receiving part 42 in the rear end direction S2 is guided inthe light guide part 75 of the second reflection part for indicatorshaft 72 and allows a light exit region E15 at the upper face 53 of therearward part 52 located adjacent to the rear end direction reflectionface 62 to be luminous by the reflection face for indicator shaft 76. Inother words, the light L5 traveling to the outside of the lightreceiving part 42 is allowed to exit from the light exit region E15located between the light exit regions E13 and E12 at which the lightfrom the light receiving part 42 and the pointing direction reflectionface 61 hardly exit.

Thus, all of the continuous light exit regions E11 to E15 at the upperface 53 of the indicator main body 31 can emit light with the uniformbrightness, and thus the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31 canbe luminous without producing non-uniformity in the brightness. Thelight which exited from the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31exits from the slit 71 of the cover member 32 toward a driver and such.In this manner, the driver and such visibly recognizes that the slit 71of the cover member 32 is uniformly emitting the light.

According to the indicator main body (i.e. indicator member) 31 of thepresent invention, there is provided the reflection part for indicatorshaft 70 which is formed continuously from the base part 40 to thepointing part 51 and which is arranged to reflect the light L4, which istraveling toward the outside of the base part 40 from the indicatorshaft 14 fixed to the shaft receiving part 41 of the base part 40,toward the upper face of the pointing part 50 adjacent to the pointingdirection reflection face 61. Thus, the light leaking from the base part40 to the outside of the indicator main body 31 can be reduced, andalso, that light L4 can be guided to the upper face of the pointing part51 adjacent to the end of the pointing direction reflection face 61,thereby preventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face 53of the pointing part 51. Therefore, the non-uniformity in brightness atthe upper face (light emitting face) 53 of the indicator main body 31can be prevented. Furthermore, there is no need to provide at thepointing direction reflection face 61 the light diffusing component forpreventing the formation of the dark area at the upper face 53 of thepointing part 51, thereby reducing the number of components and reducingthe cost of the indicator main body 31.

According to the above-described indicator main body 31, the reflectionpart for indicator shaft 70 is constituted of the light guide part 73and the reflection face for indicator shaft 74. Thus, the lighttraveling from the indicator shaft 14 toward the outside of the pointingpart 51 can be guided to the pointing part 51 and the reflection facefor indicator shaft 74 by the light guide part 73, thereby furtherreducing the light leaking from the base part 40 to the outside of theindicator main body 31.

According to the indicator main body described above, there is providedthe reflection part for indicator shaft 70 which is formed continuouslyfrom the base part 40 to the rearward part 52 and which is arranged toreflect the light L5, which is traveling toward the outside of the basepart 40 at the side of the rear end direction S2 from the indicatorshaft 14 fixed to the shaft receiving part 41 of the base part 40,toward the upper face of the rearward part 52 adjacent to the rear enddirection reflection face 62. Thus, the light leaking from the base part40 to the outside of the indicator main body 31 can be reduced, andalso, that light can be guided to the rearward part 52 adjacent to theend of the rear end direction reflection face 62, thereby preventing thedark area from being formed at the upper face 53 of the rearward part52. Therefore, the non-uniformity in brightness at the upper face 53 ofthe indicator main body 31 from the distal end of the pointing part 51to the rear end of the rearward part 52 can be prevented. Thus, theupper face 53 of the indicator main body 31 can be luminous with uniformbrightness.

Furthermore, for the above-described indicator main body 31, thereflection face for indicator shaft 74 of the first reflection part forindicator shaft 71 may be provided with a plurality of partialreflection faces 74 a, 74 b, 74 c which are aligned along the widthwisedirection of the pointing part 51, as shown in FIG. 35. An example ofthe plurality of partial reflection faces 74 a, 74 b, 74 c includes acombination of convex surface and concave surface and a combination ofreflection faces having different reflection angles. Similarly, thereflection face for indicator shaft 76 of the second reflection part forindicator shaft 72 may be provided with a plurality of partialreflection faces 76 a, 76 b, 76 c. By employing such arrangement,reflection faces having various shapes can be combined. As a result, thelight traveling from the indicator shaft 14 toward outside of the basepart can be reflected toward the upper face of the pointing part 51adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face 61 even morereliably.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 36, 37A, 37B the reflection part forindicator shaft 70 of the indicator main body 31 may be provided with areflection face for slit 78 projecting from the base part 40 in thewidthwise direction of the indicator main body 31, so that light L6which exited from the indicator shaft 14 toward an inner face of theupper cover (cover member) 33 is reflected toward the slit 71 of theupper cover 33 adjacent the pointing direction reflection face 61. Inaddition, such reflection part for indicator shaft 70 may be providedwith at least one of or none of the above-described first reflectionpart for indicator shaft 71 and the second reflection part for indicatorshaft 72.

For example, the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 may be providedwith a light guide part 77, the reflection face for slit 78 and an exitface 79. The light guide part 77 is formed into a tapered shaped slantedpart projecting from the surface of the central portion of the base part40 toward the inner face of the upper cover 33. The reflection face forslit 78 is a slanted face of the light guide part 77 which reflects thelight toward a portion at the upper face 53 of the indicator main body31 at which the non-uniformity in brightness is produced. As shown inFIGS. 37A, 37B, the reflection face for slit 78 may be formed bycombining a plurality of reflection faces having differentdirectionalities. This plurality of reflection faces can change oradjust the direction of reflection of the light traveling from theindicator shaft 14 toward the outside of the base part 40, by changingthe combination of the slant angle and the direction of reflection ofthe respective reflection faces, for example. Therefore, even if thelocation at which the non-uniformity in brightness is changed due to thedifferent shape, arrangement or the like for each kind of indicator 3,the reflection face for slit 78 can guide said light which is travelingto outside toward the portion corresponding to the slit 71 at which thebrightness is non-uniformity in brightness is produced. Thus, there isno need to provide a supplemental component for compensating thebrightness at a portion with the low brightness at the slit 71.Furthermore, the lighting quality can be improved.

The exit face 79 is arranged to allow the light L6 which is reflected onthe reflection face for slit 78 to travel toward the slit 71. The lightL6 exited from the exit face 79 once again enters the indicator mainbody 31 from the hollow reflection part 60 and is guided in theindicator main body 31 and exits toward the slit 71, or is reflected onthe inner face of the upper cover 33 toward the slit 71. By employingsuch reflection part 70 for indicator shaft, the brightness of the slit71 adjacent to the pointing direction reflection face 61 can beprevented from being dark, thus the entire slit 71 can emit light withuniform brightness in a more reliable fashion.

Furthermore, the size and shape of the reflection part for indicatorshaft 70 can be adjusted by the degree and the range of the dark areaformed at the upper face 53 of the indicator main body 31. For example,the light traveling from the indicator shaft 14 toward the outside ofthe base part 40 can be reflected toward a desired location of the slit71 by forming the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 into a convexsurface as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 38, or by formingthe reflection part for indicator shaft 70 into a concave surface asshown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 39. Moreover, thecross-sectional shape of the reflection face for slit 78 of thereflection part for indicator shaft 70 in the widthwise direction of theindicator main body 31 may be a straight line, a non-spherical surfaceand such.

As described above, by combining the first reflection part for indicatorshaft 71 and the second reflection part for indicator shaft 72 as wellas the reflection part for indicator shaft 70 projecting in thewidthwise direction of the indicator main body 31, the light travelingfrom the indicator shaft 14 toward the outside of the base part 40 canbe effectively utilized even more, thereby preventing the dark areabeing formed at the slit 71.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first reflectionpart for indicator shaft 71 and the second reflection part for indicatorshaft 72 are provided to both sides, i.e. the pointing direction S1 sideand the rear end direction S2 side, of the base part 40 of the indicatormain body 31. However, in the present invention, the present inventionmay be applied to the indicator main body 31 having only the pointingpart 51 extending from one end of the base part 40 to the pointingdirection S1 and in which the above-described rearward part 52 isomitted, as shown in FIG. 40.

The indicator main body 31 of the indicator 3 shown in FIG. 40 includesthe base part 40, the indicator part 50, the hollow reflection part 60and the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 which areintegrally formed using translucent synthetic resin as translucentmaterial such as polycarbonate resin and acrylic resin. The indicatormain body 31 is arranged to receive the light L which is guided in theindicator shaft 14 at the light receiving part 42 of the base part 40into the indicator part 50, and reflect the received light by thepointing direction reflection face 61 toward the distal end of thepointing part 51, and thus the pointing part 51 becomes luminous due tothe light guided in the pointing part 51. The first reflection part forindicator shaft 71 is arranged in the same fashion as theabove-described embodiment. Even with this arrangement, the lighttraveling from the indicator shaft 14 toward the outside of the basepart 40 is reflected by the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71toward the upper face 53 of the pointing part 51 adjacent to the end ofthe pointing direction reflection face 61.

Therefore, the indicator shown in FIG. 40 can reduce the light leakingfrom the base part 40 to the outside of the indicator main body 31, andcan guide said light to the upper face of the pointing part 51 adjacentto the end of the pointing direction reflection face 61, therebypreventing the dark area from being formed at the upper face 53 of thepointing part 51. Thus, the non-uniformity in brightness at the upperface (light emitting face) 53 can be prevented and improving thelighting quality.

For the arrangement of the indicator 3 having only the pointing part 51as shown in FIG. 40, the above-described reflection face for slit 78alone can be added. In this case, the light which is reflected at thereflection face for slit 78 is directed to exit from the slit 71adjacent to the upper end of the pointing direction reflection face 61,thereby obtaining the effect by the above-described reflection face forslit 78. Furthermore, the indicator 3 shown in FIG. 40 may be providedwith both of the first reflection part for indicator shaft 71 and thereflection face for slit 78.

Moreover, although this embodiment is described in relation to thevehicle display device as the speed meter, the present invention is notlimited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to anindicator device other than the speed meter such as an engine revolutioncounter and a fuel level meter, or alternatively, the present inventionmay be applied for example to an industrial indicator device other thanthe vehicle display device such as an indicator used for measurement ofgas pressure or temperature in a factory. As such, the present inventionmay be used in any application and any device without departing from theobject of the present invention.

The embodiment described above is only representative embodiment of thepresent invention, and the present invention is not limited to theembodiment. That is, the present invention can be modified in variousways and implemented without departing from the gist of the presentinvention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An indicator member made of translucentmaterial and having a base part arranged to receive light from a lightsource, an indicator part extending from one end of the base part toeach of a pointing direction and a rear end direction opposite of thepointing direction, and a hollow reflection part provided in theindicator part and arranged at a location opposed to the base part so asto reflect the light received at the base part toward the pointingdirection and the rear end direction, wherein the hollow reflection partincludes a pointing direction reflection face arranged to reflect a partof the light received at the base part toward the pointing direction andtransmit another part of the light, a rear end direction reflection faceconnected to the pointing direction reflection face in an intersectingfashion and arranged to reflect a part of the light received at the basepart toward the rear end direction and transmit another part of thelight, and a transmission face connected to each of the pointingdirection reflection face and the rear end direction reflection face inan intersecting fashion and arranged to face an upper face of theindicator part, and wherein the transmission face is formed into aconvexly curved surface which is convex toward the upper face of theindicator part from one end connected to the pointing directionreflection face to another end connected to the rear end directionreflection face.
 2. An indicator unit comprising, the indicator memberdescribed in claim 1, and a cover member arranged to cover the indicatorpart of the indicator member and having a slit through which the lightfrom an upper face of the indicator part facing an opposite direction ofthe base part is passed.
 3. An indicator instrument comprising, theindicator unit described in claim 2, a drive device arranged to rotatean indicator shaft to which the indicator unit is attached in accordancewith measured quantity, and a light source which emits light to bereceived at an indicator member of the indicator unit.